Old ratty jeans and baseball caps, how I love thee
by SHartley
Summary: When my mother died, both my brother and father changed. The impact of her death never hit me as hard as them; until now. Without a proper mother figure, I've never been a girly girl. I have no one to tell about a boy I like, except Sam's fiancee.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The thought of losing someone is always tragic. Surprisingly enough, it may not hurt depending on who it is. For example, when my mother passed away, it didn't destroy me. That much, anyways. She died four years ago, when I was four. My father has tried to raise me, with my older brother's help, and I'm the result of that. I don't play house, I don't dress up in frilly dresses, I play football, and jeans are my favourite things to wear. My brother was eight at the time, and was heartbroken. He made a promise to himself that when he turned of age to move out, he would move back to the house he was raised in for four years; his home. My parents moved to Canada before I was born, wanting to be closer to my mom's parents at the time. But I guess the whole plan back fired when my mother was hit by a drunk driver when crossing the road; she died instantly. I guess the guys in my life have never been the same since they died.


	2. Chapter One

**8 Years Later  
****  
**We're moving. From noisy and polluted Toronto, Ontario, to quiet and rainy Forks, Washington. Well, technically we're moving to La Push, but it's not that far from Forks. And to be exact, we're moving to the house where my brother grew up for the first four years of his life.

Unfortunately, for me, I protested. Basically I screamed bloody murder. Neighbors kept knocking on the front door, asking my father what was happening. Needless to say, he was not pleased with me and dragged me, kicking and screaming; literally.

When we arrived in La Push, the smell of forest hit me. It was intoxicating, to say the least. The whole drive to our new house, technically my new house, I had my window open and the rain pouring in. Though my day closed the window numerous times, I opened it constantly. To tell you the truth, I was soaked afterwards.

Finally, we arrived at the new, my new, house. It was small, and looked identical to the house beside it. Half heartedly, I walked to the back of my dad's truck to unload the few bags of mine that weren't moved into the house days previous.

As I stepped back, away from the trunk, I felt eyes on me; more than one pair. About three pairs, to be exact. I spun around, but no one was around me. Slowly, my eyes landed on the forest. A shiver ran up my spine, but I shook it off. Though, I still wasn't able to shake the thought of the numerous pairs of eyes on me. It was...unnerving.

Upstairs in my new room, I placed all my things on my bed. I could hear my father rustling about in his room down the hall from mine. Suddenly, the doorbell rang downstairs. I stopped what I was doing and waited for my dad to get the door. Again, it rang. Sighing, I walked out of my room and down the stairs.

Cautiously, I opened the front door. Before me, stood four guys; all of their skin was russet coloured due to their native heritage, just like my father and brother. One of the men was in a wheelchair and looked older than the other three. Another one of the men, that was standing, stood about 6'7. The other two were about 6'3-6'5.

My jaw dropped and formed an "o". I craned my neck to look up at the guys, but shied out and looked at the man in the wheelchair last second.

"Hello?" I asked, slightly tilting my head to the side in confusion.

The old man smiled, his immensely white teeth glistening. "Hi, I'm your new neighbor; Billy Black. And this is my son, Jacob," he pointed to the really tall guy. "His friends, Embry Call and Quil Ateara, are just some of his friends that are over all the time."

The boy named Quil stuck out his large hand. Slowly, I placed my hand into his. Almost immediately, I flinched from the burn his touch had left on my skin. He simply smiled as I looked up at him. Embry did the same, and the burn was familiar. Immensely familiar.

When I turned my attention to Jacob, I was shocked to how his eyes, his eyes so dark they looked like ink, had been on me the whole time. Cautiously, I cleared my throat. Quil and Embry looked at each other before nudging Jacob swiftly in the ribs. He snapped out of his stare and glared at his two friends, who nodded in my direction; sharing one of those special guy moment things. Jacob's cheeks got a little darker, with his blush, and his eyes got a little wider before he stuck his hand out.

"Pleased to me you, Jacob," I said, his burn not shocking me like the previous two had.

"Pleasure's all mine....um...?"

"Samantha, but my friends call me Sam."

"Pleasure's all mine, Samantha."

He smiled, all the while his hand still held onto mine. Embry coughed and Jacob looked at him, releasing his hold on my hand. Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn behind me. I turned and saw my dad on the stairs. He raised an eyebrow before continuing down the stairs to put his hands on my shoulders.

"Who do we have here, Sam?" he asked, as he slowly extended his hand toward Billy.

"They're our neighbors, Billy and Jacob Black. And two of his friends, Quil Ateara and Embry Call," I stated, pointing to each of them as I said their name.

He shook each of their hands before saying, "nice to meet you all. I'm Samantha's father, Michael Uley."

Jacob, Embry and Quil tensed at the mention of my last name, well more Jacob than the other two. Billy quizzically looked from my father to me, and back again. Finally, Billy broke the silence.

"Are you two, by any chance, related to Sam Uley?"

My father looked slightly embarrassed. I knew why. You see, my father is a Quileute, him, my mother, and my older brother lived here. But they moved to Canada a year before I was born. My father was originally born in La Push, but had taken a trip to Toronto for pleasure and met my mom. They lived in La Push for four years, with my older brother, but moved to Toronto so my mom could be nearer to her mom. When my brother turned sixteen, though, he came back to La Push and has lived here ever since.

"Yes," I answered, "he's my brother."


	3. Chapter Two

Jacob's jaw hit the ground, Quil rose, and Embry put his hand on the door frame to balance himself. Billy smiled, real big, before being asked if he wanted to come inside by my dad. He wheeled himself into the living room to talk with my father, whereas the three guys stayed frozen outside the doorway.

"Sam, why don't you make supper? I'm sure there men are hungry," my father called from the living room.

"Is there anything you'd prefer, Mr. Black?" I called from the living room doorway.

"Only for you to call me Billy, other than that, just ask the boys."

"Boys?"

"Yes, they're only sixteen."

My mouth dropped, as did my father's. Jacob, 6'7 Jacob, was only sixteen years old?! He was bigger, height and muscle wise, that my father! Billy chuckled from his spot in the living room.

"Jacob?" I called, "Quil? Embry?"

Moments later, the three _boys_ made their way into the kitchen and sat at the table.

"You called," Quil said with a goofy smirk on his face.

"What did you guys want for supper?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

"We usually just go to Sam's and Emily's for supper...," Embry started, but trailed off after looking at Jacob.

"Why don't you come with us?" Jacob asked, "of course, you don't have to if you don't want to."

Don't want to? Pfft, we're talking about going to see my brother! I haven't seen him in like...four years! I pushed myself away from the counter and walked into the living room, the guys' eyes on me the entire time. I walked up to my father, interrupting his and Billy's conversation.

"Dad, do you think I could go with the boys to Sam's house for dinner? I'll make you and Billy dinner before I go, and I'll be back before eleven, I swear," I said, quite quickly.

"Yes, yes, Sam, you may go. But don't worry about making dinner, there's a game on tonight and we're going to order a pizza. Go and have fun Hun, and give my regards to your brother."

I smiled and ran up the stairs to change. When I got upstairs, I closed my door and pounced on my suitcases. I threw countless articles of clothing before I came across my favourite pair of Bleach Wash Destroyed American Eagle jeans and my black American Eagle polo. I tore through another suitcase to find my black Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star high-tops.

I bounded into the bathroom, with my bag of toiletries in my hand. After brushing my hair I ran a handful of mouse through it. I applied a thin line of black eyeliner to my upper lids and then coated my lashes with mascara that is tinted slightly green, to bring out the green in my hazel eyes. I did a once over, before deciding to put some clear lip gloss on.

Finally, I darted downstairs and into the kitchen. The boys were still where I'd left them, and their eyes found me again as I perched myself on the counter. Jacob's jaw was slightly ajar as his eyes found mine. Self consciously, I blushed and looked to my lap.

Jacob got up from his spot and walked into the living room. I could feel eyes on me, still, so I looked up and was met by Quil's playful stare. His eyes lit up and his smirk turned mysterious and even more playful. My eyebrows raised, and then I finally got it.

Yelling by over my shoulder for my dad and Billy to hear, I raced out the front door. Unfortunately, when I was no more than five steps outside my front door, Quil caught me by my waist and threw me over his right shoulder. I shrieked and started hitting his back, all the while laughing hysterically.

Embry walked out of the house moments after I was caught by Quil. He smiled and shook his head at the sight of me. I flicked the hair dangling in front of my face behind my head and stuck my tongue out at Embry.

He chuckled, momentarily, before going to grab my tongue. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to pull it back in. Embry was, now, holding my tongue with his thumb and forefinger. He smirked in triumph as my brows furrowed together in frustration.

The door to my house, behind Embry, opened and Jacob stepped out. He looked at Quil, Embry, and I. His expression, then, was kind of odd. It was like he was jealous, mad, and fighting the urge to laugh all at the same time.

"Jacob, help," I said. But it came out more like, "Acub, helt."

His eyes shot up, but the laugh he was trying to suppress started to seep through. Finally, he gave up with trying to hold it back and let out a booming laugh. I, attempted to, frown.

"Acub, soar ah derk!" I, tried to, scream. (Jacob, you're a jerk.)

His laughing subsided but his smile stayed on both his eyes and on his lips. As he walked past me, he rubbed my head and punched Embry's shoulder playfully. He then proceeded into his house to get something. When he came back out, he had keys in his hand.

Embry still held my tongue as him and Quil walked towards Jacob's car. When Quil turned around, to dump me in the back seat, I finally got to see what type of car it was. A Rabbit, one of my favourite cars in the world. They don't make them anymore, yet Jacob's Rabbit looked brand new.

Finally, Embry released his hold on my tongue to get into the front seat of the Rabbit. I was about to say something about the car, but was cut off by my own scream due to the fact that Quil threw me into the back of the car. Quil, himself, was about to get in the back when Jacob said something to him. He was hesitant, at first, to get into the back. But, in the end, Quil joined me.

Quil's arm rested on the back of the seat as we continued towards my brother's house. All the while, I was asking questions about Sam and Emily. After five minutes, we'd only been in the car for six, Embry turned around to look at me.

"Would you shut up?" he asked, half irritated half laughing.

"Nope," I chirped, beaming like an idiot.

"Dummy," he sighed, shaking his head with a giant smile upon his features.

I, once again, stuck my tongue out at Embry. He tried to grab for it, but I just smirked at him. Quil chuckled beside me and Jacob turned and smiled at Embry.

"Her reflexes are getting faster, Embry. Soon, she'll get away with everything she does," Quil piped up.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she started to pick on you, Embry. Maybe try and catch your tongue," joked Jacob.

Embry made a fake laughing noise before turning his attention back to the road in front of us and "pouting". I sighed and tried not to laugh; Embry trying to pout was seriously funny. I leaned forward in my seat and put my arms around his broad shoulders, and the seat, and put my head against the side of his neck.

"Aw, Emmybear, don't pout. I'd never try and catch your tongue. Or pick on you," I said, against his neck.

I could hear Quil laughing beside me, because Embry had completely frozen. Or it could be the nick name I'd give Embry. Slowly, I turned my head to the side and, out of my peripheral vision, saw Jacob tense. Up ahead, I could see a house come into view. Guessing it was my brother's, I waited for Jacob to stop the car to continue with my plan.

**Chapter Three**


	4. Chapter Three

Just before Jacob stopped the car, I tilted my head toward Embry so I could whisper into his ear.

"I'd have one of the guys pick on your for me. And, your tongue's too ugly to be out of your mouth let alone between my fingers. Bye Emmbyear."

With that, I leapt from the Rabbit and bolted my way towards Sam's house. I could hear Embry behind me; I didn't have to think twice about just running into the house. Though, as I neared the front door, it opened. I ended up passing a guy as I entered the house. I ran into the living room and practically threw myself at a youngish looking guy.

"Help me," I cried as I attempted to hide myself with the boy, "please help me!"

I could see all the weird looks I was getting from the guys here. Then, a girl caught my attention. She was beautiful, even with the three scars running down the left side of her face.

Suddenly, Embry appeared in the doorway. I sunk further into the protection I was provided.

"Where is she?!" Embry asked, half serious half not.

All the guys looked even more confused. It was really funny, unfortunately I giggled a bit. Embry's head snapped in my direction and my face paled. He started towards me and I used the guy I practically threw myself at as a shield. I stood, behind me shield, with my arms on his biceps and my head peaking out round the side.

"Seth, move out of the way," Embry commanded.

"Uh...," came Seth's reply.

"Don't, Seth, please," I pleaded.

"Keep quiet, or your punishment will be worse that it already is going to be Samantha," threatened Embry.

"Oh, Emmybear, you wouldn't, and couldn't, hurt a fly. Let alone me," I cooed.

HIs nick name earned him a bunch of laughs. The boys' laughter was booming. But, I recognized two laughs; Quil and Jacob. The two were, now, standing just inside the doorway with another boy.

Embry went to lunge at Seth, to get to me, but I darted away, jumped over the couch, and ran to the protection provided by Jacob. He seemed to freeze momentarily, but he wrapped an arm around my shoulders anyway. Embry turned to Jacob and I, and was about to lunge, when a voice boomed from the top of the stairs.

"What's going on here?"

I looked to the top of the stairs and almost cried. My big brother, Sam, stood there in a pair of sweat pants and a plain white shirt. His hair had been shaved to a buzz cut, but had started to grow back and was just short of his ears.

He stopped, hand hovering around the rail, as his eyes bore into mine.

"S-Samantha?" his voice broke at the end?

I nodded my head, and before I knew it, Sam had his arms around me, removing me from Jacob's grasp. My head was on his chest while I wrapped my arms around his middle. We stayed like that for a while before Sam pulled back. He held me at arm's length, so he could get a good look at me.

"You've grown up, Samantha," he stated, in his usual gruff voice.

"Not as much as you have, Sam."

"Ah, yes, but that's where you're wrong. You see, all I did was grow and become much more muscular. You, on the other hand..." he paused momentarily.

"Are hot?" Quil interjected.

Both Jacob and Sam growled, like actually growled. You know, like how dogs growl.

"Sorry," muttered Quil.

That seemed to end the conversation of me rowing up. I sighed and walked in the direction, I thought, the bathroom would be. Surprisingly, I was right. I closed the door and turned to face myself in the mirror. The full length mirror showed that I did, in fact, grow up.

I was tall, not compared to those boys though; 5'8. I had brown "scene" style hair that had natural highlights in it. My eyes were a mysterious hazel that when from green, to hazel, to brown depending on the lighting. I was slightly russet coloured, all my friends in Toronto thought that I had a tan; they didn't know it was in my background to be darker than that. My body was athletic, with curved in all the right places. And I had my curves, let me tell you that.

Chapter Four


	5. Chapter Four

A knock on the door scared me, causing me to jump slightly. Slowly, I opened the door and peered out. Jacob stood before me, wearing pretty much the same thing as Sam. His eyes held the same thing, but there was a difference. A difference in the base of where the feelings were coming from and the meaning of them.

"Jacob, you scared me."

"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were alright after the comment Quil made."

"Oh, I'm fine. It doesn't bother me; Quillium was just being a teenage boy."

"You should be bothered by it-wait, Quillium?"

"Yea."

Jacob smirked and shook his head. Apparently, the nick names I give people amuse him.

"Come on, let's go and officially meet everyone downstairs."

I nodded my head and walked downstairs, towards the sound of people talking. Jacob was right behind me all the way down, I could feel his presence. At the bottom, everyone stopped talking and looked at me. I suddenly felt self conscious about myself. But, once again, I could feel Jacob close to me. Silently, I thanked him for that.

"Guys, this is Samantha Uley, Sam's younger sister," Jacob said, in his husky voice, before taking a seat on the bottom step.

"Hi," I piped up, suddenly really shy.

Smiles formed on all the guys' faces. Jacob proceeded to name them all, from left to riht. There was Quil and Embry, Seth, Jared, and Paul. But Jacob warned me that there were more. I'd be meeting them eventually. When a voice called us for supper, from the kitchen, Embry decided to speak up.

"And that's Emily. Sam's fiancée and the world's _best_ cook."

I walked into the kitchen, behind the boys, only to see mounds of food on the very small table. The boys all managed to fit around the table, though, and began piling the food onto their plates. Emily and I sat on the counter, slowly eating our food, where as the boys were shovelling it into their mouths.

"Do they always...?" I couldn't finish my sentence as the boys continued to eat.

"Yes, always," Emily answered.

"Boy, am I happy I didn't cook for them. I wa just planning on making a pot of noodles. I see that wouldn't even be close to enough."

"Well I could always use your help around here. Two extra hands in the kitchen couldn't hurt."

"Sure Ems, just call over anytime and I'll get Sam to pick me up."

"Ems?" she laughed.

"Yes. I like to give people nick names."

Apparently the boys had been listening, for Quil spoke up after he swallowed what was in his mouth.

"What's my nick name?"

I laughed; this was going to be fun.

"You are Quillium."

Embry snickered.

"Don't you laugh at him, Emmybear."

"What's mine?"

"Jar jar." (Jared)

"How 'bout mine?"

"Polly, like Polly Pockets." (Paul)

"You got one for me?"

"Of course Seth. It's...."

"Don't have one, do you?" Seth laughed.

"I have one. 'Cause you're so cool, you get called Seth, until I can think of one," I muttered the last part. "You're too cool for nick names, 'kay?"

His face wavered for a moment. "I like that," he smirked.

"Forgetting about your brother?"

"Nope, Sammy, I'm not."

I looked over at Jacob, who looked hurt, and frowned.

"Jacob, what's wrong?"

"No nick name for me?"

"I'll give you a nick name, just give me time to figure it out."

I smiled at him and he smiled back. But, it wasn't in his eyes; it didn't reach his eyes when he smiled this time. Thought I didn't ask about it that was on my mind for the rest of the night.

About two hours later, we were all sprawled out in the living room. Quil and Embry on either side of me. Jared on the ground in front of Quil, Jacob in front of me, and Paul in front of Embry. Seth was sitting in an arm chair with his legs thrown over the arm of the chair. Emily and Sam were wrapped up in each other's arms on the love seat.

The heat emitted from these boys was over whelming. Quil and Embry kept my sides warm while Jacob warmed my legs. I was quite content, to tell you the truth, that I didn't need a blanked on this rather cold evening.

"What time is it?" I asked, out of the blue.

"Um, ten thirty? Why?" Jared answered.

"I really should be getting home."

"What?! Why?!" Quil and Jacob asked, at the same time.

I was kind of taken back. The sounded kind of mad that I wanted to leave.

"I-I..."

Fortunately, Sam came to my rescue.

"It's alright, I'll take you home."

"Thank you Sammy," I beamed in his direction as he got up from his seat beside Emily.


	6. Chapter Five

"Sam, don't go," Seth said, leaning forward in his chair, now sitting up properly.

"I'll be right back Seth," Sam said, as he grabbed his keys from the shelf.

Seth grunted, "not you, Sammy, I meant Sam."

I cocked my eyebrow and stiffened a laugh. Apparently the nick name I'd given my brother started to stick. But it was going to get confusing, with who was responding.

"I'll be back, eventually, Seth. Don't worry about it," I cooed as I crossed the room to hug him.

Of course, Quil caused a ruckus about me hugging Seth goodbye. So, I ended up hugging them all. Even Jacob. Though, he did seem to hold me closer to him and longer. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice looking guy. It was just slightly awkward.

Finally I got into Sam's car and he drove me home. Strangely enough, he used to live in that house with our parents when they actually lived her, he knew the way there. When my brother and I walked in the front door, my father and Billy met us in the front hallway. As my father and brother reconnected, I walked over to Billy and pulled up a chair. He smiled at me, and like his son, his smile reached his eyes.

"Hey Billy," I said, taking a tone of voice that made it seem like we'd known each other for years.

"Samantha. So, did you meet more of the group?"

"Yes. Asides from Emmybear and Quillium, there's Jar jar, Polly, Ems, Seth, and my big brother Sammy."

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled slightly.

"How come Seth has no nickname?"

"I couldn't think of one for him, so I said he was 'too cool' for a nick name."

Billy let out a loud booming laugh. "Is that so?" I nodded.

"What about Jacob?" he asked, all seriousness back into his features.

I pondered this for a while. "Jake would be too obvious, I'm pretty sure all the other guys call him that already. I want it to be more original. I've got to think-I got it!"

"Got what?"

"Seth's nick name!"

Billy laughed, but there was something hidden in his eyes. "And it is?"

"Sloth!"

He laughed again, and Sam walked back into the living room. After talking briefly with Billy, he turned back to me and eloped me in a big bear hug. HIs was just as hot as the other boys. He smiled once more before turning towards the front door.

"Bye Sammy," I called.

"Bye Sam," he laughed back.

I closed the door and turned around. My father had an eyebrow raised in my direction. I smiled sheepishly and stiffened a laugh at my father's reaction.

"Nick names," I muttered as I passed him and walked into the living room.

I could hear Billy and my father chatting momentarily before the front door opened and closed. Rustling was heard coming from the kitchen afterwards. I flicked on Myth busters as my father handed me a cup of tea. He plopped himself down on the couch and stretched. I got comfortable in the arm chair recliner. Slowly, cradling my tea in one hand, I reclined the chair and threw the blanket, from the back of the chair, over my legs.

"What did you think of the boys?" my dad asked after a commercial interrupted the Myth busters from blowing up a car.

"They're pretty cool. But they're all freaking hot! Even Sam! I thought they were going to burn my skin every time I touched them," I exclaimed, almost spilling my tea a few times.

My father laughed. I realized that my dad's and Sam's laugh were, in fact, quite similar. So were their looks; black hair, russet coloured skin, dark brown eyes, and a fairly big built body.

About half an hour later, at roughly eleven thirty, I decided to go upstairs and go to sleep. I threw the suit cases from my bed, after taking out a pair of black and red plaid pj pants and a black tank top. I stripped from my jeans and polo, throwing them in the laundry basket I fixated in a corner, and put on my pj's. Quickly, I ripped back the sheets from my bed and eloped myself in the warmth my bed provided.

Before I fell asleep, I heard something that I've never heard before in Toronto. The sound was both unnerving and comforting.

It was a howl. But it wasn't menacing. It was like it was happy, content with where it was. Suddenly, more howls, from other wolves, were heard. I smiled to myself and pushed back the covers.

Slowly, I made my way to my big window and sat in front of it. I opened the window and the night breeze made the curtains billow around me. The moon shone from behind the clouds, casting an eerie glow to elope the forest below. Another howl was heard from the first wolf. I smiled to myself and curled up into a ball. I fell asleep, on the seat to my bay window, there to the sounds of wolves howling throughout the night.


	7. Chapter Six

The next morning, I was awakened by light pouring into my room and my covers being ripped from my sleeping form. I groggily turned my head to the side to look at my click; nine thirty am. Groaning, I turned and faced those who had woken me from my profound slumber; Embry and Quil.

The two stood smirking at me; Quil still had my sheets in his large hand. Embry, on the other hand, stood by my bay window, the one curtain still grasped in his fist. I sighed and flopped back down on my double bed. The two boys snickered from a sudden bump in my, sort of small, walk in closet.

I raised my eyebrow at the boys and looked back to the closet. Looking around my room, I noticed that the suit case was missing. The boys laughed again and I was starting to get scared.

"Dad!" I screamed.

Within seconds, Sam was standing in my doorway with a worried look on his face. He looked at me and then looked at the two boys in my room. They were both still smirking as Sam crossed the floor until he was sitting on my bed beside me.

"What's wrong Samantha?" concern filled his voice.

"Why is my suitcase missing?"

"You don't care that there were two teenage boys in your room, while you were sleeping. Yet, you worry about the place in which your suitcase is?!"

"Duh!"

Sam looked at me again before sighing and shaking his head.

"You're really strange, you know that?" he said quietly, standing up and walking over to my closet.

Moments later, Sam emerged from the closet with my suitcase in his hand and Jacob, with one of my pairs of converse in his hands, behind him. He raised an eyebrow at me while Sam put the suitcase in front of me and left the room.

"How many pairs of these do you own?" he asked, indicating the shoes he held in his hands.

"Um, easily thirty pairs. Why, do you want a pair? I know someone who works at the store back in Toronto. He could give me a discount for a pair for you," I answered as I walked, with my empty suitcase, to my closet.

Jacob looked at Embry and then at Quil. His eyes slightly bulged and his mouth hanging open a bit. I giggled a little and walked over to him to retrieve my black converse from his hands.

I walked into my closet and shut, and locked, the door. Movement was heard from the other side as I stripped myself of my pjs. I threw on a pair of black sweats and a blue tee that said, "Oops, did I hurt your feelings with my sarcasm?"

When I walked out I saw Quil fixing the sheet that was now back on my bed. Embry was seated in front of my window on the window seat. Jacob was leaning against my doorframe, looking down the hall.

"It's Sunday morning, guys, why are you here so early?!" I all but screamed.

"Well, we were at Sam's and your dad called him saying he had to go to work. So Sam decided to come up here and help you unpack, that's why Jacob was in your closet. But, originally, we were planning on going to the beach," Quil said, sitting on my bed.

I nodded my head, absent mindedly, and walked into my bathroom. Slowly, I pulled a brush through my hair before letting my side swept bangs lay over my right eye, and tying the rest of my hair in a loose pony tail on the right side. I brushed a light shade of blue eye shadow over my eyes before brushing my teeth and slipping out of the bathroom.

I trudged into my closet and took out a pair of worn out blue flip flops. I smiled up at the guys, and made my way down stairs. I could hear the boys following me down the steps. Just as I was about to grab the door knob, my brother stepped out of the kitchen with a towel in his hands.

"Where are you headed, Samantha?" Sam's gruff voice amazed me, it never once wavered; ever.

"Out, with the guys, to the beach," I replied, opening the front door.

"Without eating anything for breakfast first?"

"No-"

I was cut off by the three boys rushing past Sam and into the kitchen. He looked at me and a small smirk formed on his lips, in triumph. I sighed and dragged my feet into the kitchen, where the boys had already started to devour most of the food that had been placed on the island.

I took a few pieces of bacon, a spoonful of scrambled eggs, three breakfast sausages, a piece of toast with jam, and a glass of orange juice. Might as well join them, right?

As I ate my third piece of bacon, Sam turned to the boys with a devilish smirk on his face. He was going to poke and ask them what we were going to do today at the beach.

"So, what are you guys doing today?"

"Beach," mumbled Jacob, half mindedly.

"Doing what at the beach?"

_Please, please Quil...don't answer that-wait. What are we going to do at the beach?!_

"Cliff diving," replied Quil.

My jaw hit the island. _Cliff diving?!_


	8. Chapter Seven

Cliff diving? Cliff diving?! Are they freaking insane?! There is absolutely _no way_ they are getting me to jump off a cliff. Sam must have seen my horror stricken expression because he laughed a little. Oh great, now my spazzing about a dangerous activity are funny?! Sometimes my brother makes no sense to me.

"What's wrong Samantha?" Sam asked.

"There is abruptly no way I am going cliff diving. No way, no how."

* * *

"I can't believe you actually convince me to do this," I screamed as I looked over the edge and towards the inky black water.

I felt a presence behind me, and turned to face Jacob. He looked at me warily before a smirk took over his features. He took a step forward and I turned around to face the water again. I could feel his hot breath as he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Scared," he asked, but sounded more like a statement.

"Um...yea. It's a _long _way down."

"Don't worry. I could go with you, if you want."

"Please. I'll feel better."

Slowly, I felt two warm arms wrap around my stomach and pull me close to his chest. The heat that radiated from his body was very welcoming. I enjoyed it, to say the least.

"On three," he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"One," I breathed, placing my hands over top of his.

"Two," we were at the edge; I could see the two dots at the bottom, Quil and Embry who had jumped before us.

"Three," we both said at the same time as Jacob pushed us off the cliff.

The wind pushing against our bodies made me snuggle more into Jacob's warmth. I didn't think that anything could be colder than the air around us. I was wrong. When we hit the water, I felt like I was going to turn to ice. The cold depths sunk into my throat as I opened my mouth for the scream that would not come. The last thing I remembered was all my senses failing me and my world going completely black.

___________________________________________________________________________

"I can't believe you, Jacob! You actually let her jump!" I heard voices, Sam's voice, yelling at Jacob, when I came to.

"I jumped with her! I didn't know she was going to react to the cold like that! You can't blame me Sam," Jacob growled back.

"Oh, is that so? You're the one that let her jump in the first place!"

"She agreed to jumping, Sam, you have to stop trying to pinpoint all that's happened on me."

"So you want me to blame my sister? She didn't even know about the cliff before you, Quil, and Embry came by and told her about it! I can't believe you let her go through with this Jacob, she's your-"

Footsteps entered the room and came closer to me.

"She's awake," Embry mumbled the footsteps then retreating.

I felt warm hands on either one of my shoulders.

"Samantha? If you can hear me, please open your eyes," my brother pleaded.

I groaned and squinted, my eyes barely open. I could see Sam standing over me, near tears, and Jacob by my bed with a guilty and worried expression.

"Go away," I mumbled, rolling onto my side.

I could hear my brother chuckle, before his warm hands removed themselves from my shoulders.

"She's fine," he said, before his retreating footsteps were heard.

"I'm so sorry Samantha!" Jacob gushed, now by my side, "I didn't mean for all this to happen!"

"Jake, it's not your fault."

"It is, Samantha-wait. Did you just call me Jake?"

"Duh."

"Why?"

"I couldn't think of any other nickname suitable for you."

"Oh."

I giggled, his face was priceless. He smirked at me and began to tickle me none stop.

"Jac-Jake-Jacob!" I screamed, laughing hysterically, "s-st-stop!"

"Make me."

"W-what do y-you want fr-from m-me?"

"Hmm. How about a date?"

"A-a-a date?"

"Yes."

"O-okay, j-ust st-op tickling m-e!"

Jacob stopped and smiled at me. I smiled back and brushed my hair behind my ears, getting off the bed and walking towards Jacob. I never really realized how beautiful he was until now. His dark brown hair that passed his ears, his eyes almost the colour of ink...I could get lost in those eyes forever.

"So when do I go on my 'date' with you?" I asked.

"Tomorrow, I'll pick you up at seven thirty pm."

"May I ask where we're going?"

"Port Angeles."

I smiled and blushed, as he smiled back. He, slowly, walked up to me and grasped my hand. The head that radiated off him was alluring, to say the least, and I stepped closer to him. He moved his face closer to mine, inch by inch, until our faces were mere centimeters apart. I could smell the forest on him, as I closed my eyes readying myself for when Jacob's lips would meet mine. When they were about to touch, though, my bedroom door opened. Jacob pulled away from me and we both turned to face Embry. He turned to look at me, as did Embry, before they faced each other and left.


	9. Chapter Eight

I sunk down on my bed and ran my hand through my slightly ruffled hair. After sighing a few times, I decided to get up and go out. It was a sunny day, after all, and I had nothing to do for the next four and a half hours until the sun started sitting at six thirty. Smiling to myself, I grabbed the suitcase I had thrown under my bed and walked into my closet. Slowly, I unzipped my suitcase and stared inside it; in all its glory. I took everything out, and looked over everything, before setting aside one outfit and putting all the other things away.

My hands trembled slightly from excitement as I undressed from my t-shirt, swim suit and shorts, slipping on my favourite bra and underwear combo. I slid into my bleach wash big sky boot American Eagle jeans. My fingers glided over the soft fabric of my double stripped v neck American Eagle tank as I slid it over my head, followed by my stripped three quarter length sleeve American Eagle top. I looked in the vanity mirror on one wall and brushed my hair straight. After my hair was brushed, I went looking for my New Era DC hat, followed by my mirror aviators. My hat sat, backwards, on my head with my bangs over my right eye. My aviators were hanging from the neck of my shirt as I brushed a small layer of mascara over my lashes. I then proceeded to slip on a pair of ankle socks and a pair of DC Court Graffik shoes. I gave myself the once over in my full length mirror before putting on a pair of Mystery wrist bands. Before stepping out of the closet, though, I closed my door and grabbed my Myster Heart Splatter skate board from its rack.

I walked over to my dresser and grabbed my black LG Rumor. Slowly, I slipped on my shades before descending the stairs, board tucked under my arm, hollering a goodbye over my shoulder. My wheels hit the concrete before I even stepped off the front steps. I was speeding down the driveway and on the main road in a blink of an eye. Every so often, I would pop and olly or ride over to the curb and grind it until I'd lose my balance.

It took me twenty-five minutes to make it to First Beach. When I got to the last bit of concrete in the parking lot, I carried my board to the middle of the sandy beach. I put my board in the sand, wheels up, and sat down on it; just looking out at the lake. The sun was reflecting off the inky black surface and hitting my square in the face. The warmth felt good, I invited it, it reminded me of Jacob; the almost kiss. I sighed and tilted my head back, looking up directly. Barely any clouds ruined the beautiful blue sky. Slowly, I turned my head to the road. I'd have to go back soon. Before I got up, I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of the sun, lake, and forest reflecting off my glasses. I smiled as I got up and walked to the parking lot.

My wheels met the concrete again and I smiled as the wind blew my hair back. I was half way home when I heard a car slow down behind me, over the music I was playing from my cell. I kept facing forward and increased my speed, not bothering with the little trick. Behind me, I could hear the engine rev. They were beside me in a matter of seconds. Though, against I sped up in hopes to lose my 'followers'.

That didn't stop them; they just played their crappy music louder. I sighed and changed the song from my phone. I changed it from 'Hey Brittany!' by Forever the Sickest Kids to 'Defiantly Maybe' by FM Static. I cranked the volume on my Rumor as loud as it possible could go, in hopes to shut them out. But to no avail. They were beside me, matching my top speed on a deck with ease. I could feel their eyes boring into my skull, and it creped me out. From just a feeling, I knew they were men.

I still didn't dare turn my head, even a millimeter to see them. Slowly, the car to my right sped up. I smiled, just slightly, to myself out of victory. But that quickly fell when the car turned and blocked off the road, completely. They were so far ahead, that I had time to think. To my left, was forest, and to my right was even more forest, I had nowhere to go and I definitely couldn't olly over the car.

Now I got a look at them, as I neared. They were in a Jeep; four of them were. They had to have been from Forks or Port Angeles, because their skin wasn't the same as I was used to seeing from Jacob and the boys. I finally stopped, about five feet away from the Jeep. The four boys, all varying from seventeen-nineteen years old, all smirked at me. One had brown skater hair and hazel eyes, another had blonde surfer hair and baby blue eyes, the third had black emo hair and blue eyes, and the last had brownish red scene hair and bright green eyes. They were all taller, and more muscular, than me; I could tell.

"Hey doll," the blonde drawled, "what are you doing out here...all...alone?"

I looked up at him and then up at the sky. I could hear a few snickers come from the car in front of me.

"Think you're too good to talk with us, sweetheart?" the brunette inquired. "Just because you can ride that board, doesn't me you can bang any tricks off of it."

Ignoring that comment, I looked at the brunette. I sighed and removed my shades, so they could see me glaring at them. There were a bunch of 'oohs' when I did. The brunette smirked at me and winked; I raised an eyebrow at this and put my shades on the back of my head, resting of the bill of the hat. My hands, then, went instantly to my hips. That chorus of 'oohs' came back, louder this time.

"Come on doll face, don't be like that," cooed the brunette.

I rolled my eyes and tired not to gag at the cheesy lines this bloke was using. My eyes were, instantly, directed back to the Jeep when I heard the car door open and close. The brunette had gotten out of the car, and was making his way, at an average pace, to me.

"What do you think you are doing?!" I shrieked as he went to put his hand on my waist.

"Oh, so you can talk sweetheart," he smirked.

"What do you want?"

"Kitty's got claws now?"

"What do you want, you twit?"

"Hmm, how about for you to come with us."

"Pfft, as if."

"Don't make this hard on yourself, princess; if you know what's good for you, you'll come easy."

"I really don't think I'll be going anywhere with you."

A mischievous smirk over took his features in a matter of seconds. I gulped; I'd just screwed myself over. His other hand grabbed onto my wrist, where as the hand on my waist tightened. Within a flash, I was pulled into his chest. He smelled like AXE, and his chest was pretty hard as my hand beat against it.


	10. Chapter Nine

"I really don't think you'll be getting a decision as to where you're going, love," he drawled in my ear, before I felt my feet leave the ground.

I yelped as he started walking back towards the Jeep. I tried to wriggle free, I was kicking my feet like a mad woman, but he just tightened his hold on me. This time, I full out screamed, instead of the yelp I let go when he picked me up. I continued to scream until one of the other boys put his hand over my mouth. We stayed like that or a few minutes until I decided to bite his hand. By that time, though, we were already at the Jeep. The brunette dropped me in the back seat, as the boy with black hair removed his hand. I screamed, again, until the blonde tied a bandanna around my mouth. Instantly, my hands flew up to try and untie it, but the blonde restrained me. The brunette moved the hair away from my chest, and behind my shoulders. He, then, started placing kisses on my neck and the exposed part of my chest. I could feel him sucking, slightly, on the base of my neck. Screaming into the bandanna, I could feel the tears start to fall down my cheeks.

Suddenly, the black haired boy yelled. The brunette stopped and looked to where he was pointing. Three _huge _wolves stood near my skateboard, growling at us. Though, they were the size of bears not your average wolf. The black wolf walked closer to the Jeep, and I screamed into the bandanna. The sandy wolf followed suit, and the black wolf barred his teeth in our direction. The four boys all jumped from the Jeep and scrambled to get away. I watched, amazed, as the two wolves jumped over the Jeep; taking after the four boys.

I, in all my shock, moved away from the Jeep and walked, backwards, until I tripped; over my skateboard. I'd torn the bandanna off in the Jeep, and now I wish I hadn't. I was crying hysterically, not only from almost being raped but from the _giant _wolf like creatures that jumped over the Jeep and chased the guys. Suddenly, I heard rustling from the forest to my left. My heart stopped, thinking that it was that third wolf coming after me. I didn't breathe, until I felt the familiar burn and smelt the woodsy aroma that was Jacob Black. I leaned into his chest and cried, my whole body trembling as I sobbed.

I felt him lift me up, along with my skateboard, and start walking. The whole way to where ever we were going, I cried. When we finally got to where we were headed, I could hear people talking; female people talking. Though I dare not remove my head from the crook of Jacob's neck. The female murmurs blended with male ones, each revolving around why I was shaking and crying hysterically.

We finally stopped walking and I felt Jacob lowering ourselves. I decided, then, that I should remove my head from his neck. I looked around and saw Emily, Paul, Jared, Quil, Embry, and three girls I didn't know. Each and every pair of eyes were fixated on my quivering form. I could feel Jacob tense underneath me, and when I looked up he was looking down at me. I then realized that he was looking at the various hickeys that the brunette had left on me. Jacob seemed seriously aggravated by this that he started to shake, involuntarily causing me to shake as well. Quil and Embry were quick to react to Jacob's shaking. Embry had picked me off of Jacob's lap and handed me to Jared, while Quil started pushing Jacob outside.

Emily and one of the mystery girls rushed over to Jared's and my side. The mystery girl seemed frantic, so Jared was stuck consoling two girls. Another one of the mystery girls moved near Paul and wrapped her arms around his waist. I heard him mumble something about how everything would be alright. I also heard her name; Rachel. Jared, on the other hand, had told the other mystery girl, Kim, that Jacob was just frustrated with what had happened. The last mystery girl was talking to Emily.

I sat in the corner, at the far end of the room, with my knees pulled tight to my chest, my arms wrapped around them, and my head resting on my knees. A sudden noise outside stopped all talking inside. I lifted up my head, so I could see, and saw Sam, Seth, Jacob, Quil, and Embry walk through the front door at the same time. I let my head fall back into place as low murmurs reached my ears. I blocked it out as I started to slightly rock myself back and forth. Without anyone noticing my movement, I took off my hat and placed it by my feet, on top of my skateboard. Something inside me snapped, then, as I remembered the _giant_ wolves and the guys. I started to cry again. This time quieter. The only thing that could give off the illusion that I was crying, was that I was shaking slightly with my silent sobs.

It seemed like things had quieted down, immensely, around me.

"Samantha?" I heard Jacob say, really close to my ear. "Samantha are you okay?"

I realized I was shaking even more now, everyone else sat around us quietly. Jacob moved his arm to around my shoulder, and all their eyes moved to us. The heat that radiated off of Jacob was welcoming, as I proceeded to bury myself further into his side. Tears still streaked my cheeks as I gripped, tighter, to his shirt. His other arm wrapped around me, drawing me even closer.

"I think I should take her home, Sam. When is your father supposed to be back?" Jacob asked my brother.

"He said that he should be home around noon tomorrow."

"She could always stay in your room Rachel. You'll be-"

"No! _The giant wolves_! The boys! No! Don't leave me alone!" I screamed, hysterically. "Don't leave me alone! They'll come back; oh they'll come back for me!"

"Shhh, Samantha, shhh. Calm down, everything's going to okay. I won't leave you alone. Shhh," Jacob cooed, rocking the two of us back and forth.

"Take her home, Jacob," Sam said, "to her own home. And stay in the same room with her; close to her. Alright?"

"Alright Sam. Embry, would you mind coming with us?"

After getting up and Jacob putting me in his Rabbit, which so conveniently was parked outside Emily's and Sam's. As soon as I was in the back seat of the car, the slight rocking knocked me out completely; I was exhausted.

I don't know how long I was out. When I woke up, Jacob was lying beside me on my bed and Embry was asleep on the window seat. Cautiously, I sat up and stretched my arms above my head. A small movement from beside me caught my attention. I turned my head to the side to see Jacob looking up at me with a weary smile. I returned it, having pushed everything that happened yesterday behind me.

"Good morning Samantha," Jacob mused, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Morning Jake," I breathed, looking down and getting a good look at his perfectly sculpted chest and abs. He was...

"...gorgeous," I was flustered, realizing I'd said it aloud.

Jacob laughed and ruffled his hair.

"You're not so bad yourself," he smirked.

I looked down and realize that my shirts had risen to just below my breasts. A soft blush found its way to my cheeks as I fixed my shirt. Jacob smiled at me none the less. Embry, just waking up and looking over at the two of us, grinned at Jacob. I, dying of embarrassment, left the room and went downstairs to go and make breakfast. Taking pancake mix from the middle shelf, I mixed it in a bowl and put a pan on the stove. Next, I proceeded to take out some bacon and put it on the frying pan with the eggs I was going to scramble. Minutes later, the boys had come down and sat themselves at the island. They helped themselves, then, to a huge mixing bowl of cereal each. They pretty much emptied a whole box each. Not to mention before I'd finished cooking.


	11. Chapter Ten

After the boys and I had eaten, we all went our separate ways to dress. Jacob and Embry went over to Jacob's while I climbed the stairs. I sighed when I reached the top; I had to go to school tomorrow. I was going to have to go shopping for school supplies and new clothes, because I was pretty sure that the style and such was different here than it was in Toronto.

I threw on a big, old, ripped shirt and a pair of jeans with the holes ripped out. I heard the door open and close down stairs and rushed a brush through my hair a few times, clipping half of my bangs up on the top of my head. I brushed my teeth before applying minimal lip gloss, just to keep them moist to prevent them from cracking.

"Samantha!" Embry called from down stairs.

"What?" I called back.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think, Emmybear?"

"Oh ha ha ha. Hey Jacob, apparently Sam has some jokes. You better be dressed Samantha, 'cause," he opened the door and I let out a scream, not to mention fell backwards off the bed I was sitting on, "we're going out!"

When I peaked my head over the bed, I could see Embry trying to hold back his fits of laughter. He was holding onto the door frame when he finally let his barks of laughter out. It was so loud and booming, that he shook the door frame. I scowled, he was laughing at my misfortune. That jerk.

I slowly laced up my black converse and grabbed my wallet, sticking it in my back pocket and clipping the chain on my right belt loop. Embry was still laughing in my doorway, so I decided to take my alternate way out. Considering my house had two floors, not including the basement, it was pretty high from the ground. Thank God that there was a tree right by my window, or else I would have had to jump. Slowly maneuvering myself out the window and onto the branch, I turned to see if Embry was paying any attention to me or not; he wasn't.

When I touched the ground I smiled looking up. Embry was still laughing; I could both hear it and see my window shaking. I was laughing to myself as I walked in the front door, but quieted down when I saw Jacob in the living room. I stood as still as I could and watched him move around. He walked over to the mantel, picking up a picture as he went. The hand that wasn't holding the photo was tracing over it.

"She looks do much like her mother," I heard him mutter.

He placed the photo down and was about to pick up another one when I could hear the hurried steps of Embry coming down the stairs.

"Dude! She's not in her room anymore!" I could hear him shout, as the thumping from the stairs was louder. I hurried into the kitchen, as to look like I was busying myself in front of the stove.

"What are you talking about Embry? She's getting dressed," Jacob said, turning to face Embry.

"No, dude, you don't understand. She was there, then she fell off the bed, and then after I finished laughing she wasn't there anymore."

"So you lost her? In her own house?"

"Ye-what's that smell?"

"Food."

Before I could even blink, Embry was sitting on the counter beside the stove and Jacob stood behind me with his arms around my waist to get the bacon. Considering they'd finished most of the package before we left to get changed, I might as well finish cooking the rest of it. Though, even after Jacob had taken a few pieces of the bacon I was cooking, he didn't back away or move his arms. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, and I was pretty sure Embry could see it too.

"Jacob," Embry mused, with a smirk on his face, "I think you should step away from her before she burns the house down."

I could feel Jacob step away from me, and I took in a deep breath. Embry laughed, and eventually Jacob chimed in. I scowled and turned to face them, the blush on my cheeks reduced dramatically. Pointing a finger towards Embry, I walked towards him. He stopped laughing and put his hands up in mock surrender. With my hand raised, pointer finger out, I tightened that hand into a fist. Then I hit Embry on the shoulder and arm; rapidly.

He started wailing about and yelling, loudly, for me to knock it off. That only got Jacob to laugh even more. Though, when Embry started calling for Jacob to "get her off of me" he erupted. Jacob was laughing so hard that he had doubled over, hands on his knees, trying to breathe. Finally, though, he composed himself and wrapped his arms around my shoulders to pull me away from one of his best friends.

Embry looked at me and rubbed his arm, treating it as if it were a baby. This caused me to go into fits of laughter. Jacob, who still had his arms around my shoulders, let go and wacked Embry on the back.

"Way to act manly, man," he smirked, as Embry scowled.

"Hey, she caught me off guard," he tried to fight back, to no avail.

"We could stay here all day and bash how much you're _not _a man. But I do believe that Miss Samantha here needs some _La Push_ in her Toronto style."

"What are you talking about Mr. Black? Though, I do believe that my _Toronto _style is much better than your La Push style. Seriously, have you guys never heard of American Eagle or even DC?" I asked, genially curious.

"Whatever Samantha," he smirked, "we're going to show you anyways."

Rolling my eyes I chuckled. "You don't even know converse, Jacob, what makes you think I'm going to like anything you find?"

He shrugged his shoulders and dragged me to his Rabbit anyways.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come on Samantha, the styles here aren't bad. You'll just have to get used to it," Embry tried to convince me on our way home.

"They're alright, I'd just prefer to go back to Toronto to go shopping," I said from the front seat.

"Are you sure you just don't want to go back to Toronto?"

"And leave you here to bug the crap out of Jacob by yourself? No."

"Oh ha ha ha little Miss I'm too good for La Push fashion," Jacob joked, rolling his eyes.

"Ah, shut up Jacob. You know you love me," I joked.

"You don't know the half of it," I heard Embry mumble from the back, before Jacob threw one of the owners manuals at him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Samantha! Get out of bed! You father's left already, come on!"

"Mhfm, go away!"

"Come on Sam, it's your first day of school. Get your butt out of bed!"

"Noooo. I don't want to go to school."

"We're going to the beach after, it's supposed to be _really _nice out too."

"I don't want toooo."

"Samantha."

"Fine!"

I reluctantly got out of bed, only to see Jacob leaning down smiling at me. So he was the voice who'd coaxed me out of bed. I shot him a death glare; I hate him for making me get out of bed.

After he left my room, I started walking around looking for something to wear. Jacob had said that we'd be going to the beach after school, and that it'd be nice out, so I decided to dress somewhat summery. I put on a pair of leggings and an American Eagle destroyed denim mini skirt. After searching through my drawers again, I found a 2-in-1 American Eagle shirt and black and white stripped flip flops for Hollister.

I walked over to my night stand and grabbed three blue bangles off of it, and put them on my right arm. I brushed my hair and fixed my bangs before putting on a headband with a bow. Quickly, I grabbed my Aeropostale tote and slung it over my left arm before pulling my mirror aviators off of the top of my night stand and setting them on my head. Smiling to myself in the mirror, I put on a little bit of gloss and blue eye shadow.

As I descended the stairs, the smell of food was overwhelming. So was the amout of testosterone in the kitchen. All the guys were there.  
"Nice legs," Seth called, looking me up and down.

"Seth!" Emily, Sam, and Jacob called.

"What?" he asked, sheepishly, "she looks hot."

Jacob turned to look at me and smiled. "He's right, you know."

---

Samantha's outfit

.com/samanthas_beach_school_outifit/set?id=7246466


	12. Chapter Eleven

I got out of Jacob's Rabbit and looked up at La Push High School. It was a fairly small building, compared to the schools that I'd seen while living in Toronto. It couldn't have held that many students, maybe 300 to 500. Embry and Quil popped up on either side of me, Embry clipping me on the back. I felt the air being forced from my lungs as I was, forcefully, thrown forward towards the ground. My hands were outstretched in front of me, awaiting the defeating 'umph' that was guaranteed to come with the arrival of dirt in my face. Though, surprising me, I never felt the ground. I did, however, feel two strong and very warm arms wrap around my waist and pull me swiftly into a very hard and warm chest.

My hand instantly went to my chest, and my other let my bag drop; involuntarily. My breathing was coming in big gasps, trying to slow my heart rate back down to normal. I looked up at Embry, to see him looking slightly shocked and sorry. His hand was on the back of his neck as he looked down at the ground, looking completely guilty for his actions. Quil was situated right beside him, looking at Jacob; behind me. His eyes were slightly larger than normal, and he moved to pick up my tote.

"S-sorry Sam, I guess I d-don't know my own...strength?" Embry apologized, but I could hear that he was slightly confused and flabbergasted by what had happened.

"It's alright, Embry," I retorted, trying to stand up straight instead of leaning against Jacob's rock hard chest.

"I'm okay Jake, you can let go now," I mumbled, putting my hands over his as I tried to pry them from my waist.

Reluctantly, he let go. As I turned around to look at him, I was shocked to see that he was in fact glaring at Embry. My eyebrow quirked up as I turned to look at him, he was still looking down with a sorrowful expression on his face. Slowly, I walked over to him and hesitantly wrapped my arms around his middle. I could tell I shocked him, because he jumped when I touched him. His head shot up, before looking down at me and returning the hug. The sweltering heat that radiated off of these boys wasn't as shocking to the system as it had been days prior.

When I pulled away from Embry, he was looking down at me with a grin set on his features. I smiled up at him and retrieved my bag from Quil. Quil threw his arm around my shoulders, as I slung my bag over my shoulder. Embry took to my other side and smiled down at me. Both boys were smiling as we walked into the doors to the school. Though, as we were walking through the doors did it strike me that we had left Jacob behind.

I turned around, earning confused looks from Embry and Quil, and ran towards the boy we'd left behind. He was standing where we'd left him, with a mix of hurt and frustration in his eyes. As I neared, his scowl turned upwards slightly. I stood in front of him, at about arms length, and put my hands swiftly on my hips.

"Jacob Black," I started in a harsh tone, but quickly softened it, "don't you know that you're supposed to be showing me where everything is?"

He smiled and threw his arm over my shoulders like Quil had moments earlier. Jacob's mood seemed to change, at least a little bit, and I smiled. As we neared Quil and Embry, I broke away from Jacob and ran ahead of the group. I could feel their confused glances at my back, but never the less I continued to keep a bit of space between us. Finally, as I crossed the threshold, I turned to face the guys. I smiled even bigger at their confused faces and proceeded to make a fool out of myself by spinning on the spot.

"Hey, Canada, by the way you're acting it seems like you've never been in a real school before," Embry, who finally snapped out of his guilty mood, snickered.

"Oh ha ha, Emmybear. My old high school, in Toronto, was so crowded there was no room to do anything. Not to mention you were judged on anything and everything you could think of. Here it just seems so...free," I declared, spinning again.

"If you wanted to act all stupid and crap, could you not do it in the front of the school where everybody is going to be coming within the next twenty-five minutes? Especially with us here," added Quil, trying to grasp my arm to get me to stop twirling like a five year old.

"If I didn't know any better, Quillium, I'd say you were embarrassed by me."

"Me? Maybe, I mean no. Just, stop spinning; please!"

"Smooth, Quil. Smooth," chuckled Jacob, walking past me and heading towards a door with 'office' above it.

"Shut up Black, just because you...," I couldn't hear the rest of his comment, for he walked into the office after Jacob.

Though I wanted to know what Quil and Jacob were talking about, I didn't let it get to my overly giddy mood. Nothing could really bring me down. Not that I was at a new school, with people I didn't know. Not that I was near the bottom of the food chain, a lonesome sophomore that could get picked on by any one of the juniors or seniors. Not that I only knew three people at this school, out of the possible 500. No, for me, right now, life was good. Right now being the key words.

I turned around to look at Embry, who was looking at me funny. At this, I quirked an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Embry, seemingly awakening from a trance, moved his eyes from something behind me to me. His smile, though slightly forced, tried to play off that nothing was wrong.

"Nothing Canada, why do you ask?"

I hesitated with my answer, turning around to see if anything was behind me; nothing. I shook my head and smiled up at him.

"It's not matter."

Embry seemed to accept that, and stood with me awaiting Jacob and Quil to come out from the office. It took them about five more minutes, before they emerged with a few slips of paper in their hands. Quil looked over at Embry, before pulling him off in one direction; muffled whispers floating in my direction from them. Jacob stood in front of me, examining over a few of the papers before handing them to me. The first paper he handed to me had eight blank lines on it.

"You need to have all of your teachers sign that, and then bring it into the office at the end of the day," Jacob explained, taking his eyes off of the other slip of paper in his hand.

"This," he said handing it to me, "is your schedule. You have homeroom with me, second period with Quil and Embry, third with Jared and Quil, fourth with Paul and Seth, fifth with Embry and me, sixth with Jared, Paul and Seth, seventh with me, Quil and Embry, and last period with all of us."

I looked up at him confused and he just chuckled, putting his arm around my shoulder. Looking down at my schedule, I saw that I had math for a homeroom. Drama followed, geography third, fourth came music, then English, followed by French, study hall/art was seventh, and gym was last. After fourth period, came an hour lunch. Gawking at my schedule, the only thing that confused me was the 'study hall/art' block during seventh period. But, I bypassed it, as we appeared to come to homeroom.

Walking into the classroom, I noticed that the teacher had not yet shown up in class. Neither had most of the students required to be there. Jacob led me to the back corner and indicated me to sit down, as he put his back down on the seat behind me.

"I'll be back in a minute, I just have to go to the bathroom and then talk to Embry and Quil real quick," he stated, before rushing out the door without any indication from me that I had been paying attention.

Roughly five minutes after Jacob had darted out of the room, he had not returned. Students were filing in, seeming as the warning bell was going to ring soon. I paid no attention to them, as I pulled out a sketch book I kept in my bag and began to draw the classroom in front of me. Seeing as I get into my art work, I was shocked to hear a voice directly beside my ear.

"What's a sophomore like you doing sitting all the way back here by her lonesome?" it cooed.

My throat closed up, the whole situation reminded me too much of what had happened when I'd gone skateboarding. The voice wasn't familiar, but just the tone sent chills up and down my spine. At this, he laughed; a husky and, supposedly, seductive laugh. He trailed two fingers up and down my right arm, as he took a seat in the chair beside me.

"I have that effect on girls," he whispered, interoperating my chill was me shivering from his touch.

"I-"

"Shane!"


	13. Chapter Twelve

It was loud and threatening. I looked up, behind Shane. Jacob stood glaring at him; a low growl seemed to emit its self from deep within Jacob's chest. My eyes grew wide as my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. Jacob just growled. _Growled!_ Animal like growl. Shane, seemingly not fazed by Jacob growling, smirked. He placed his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. Taking this time to look around the classroom, it seemed like no one was fazed. The warning bell hadn't even rug yet, we still had over five minutes.

"What's the matter Black? Afraid your little friend here will like me better?" Shane snickered.

"Knock it off Beck," Jacob sneered.

"You _are _afraid she will, I can see it in your eyes."

"Shut up and leave her alone."

"I-"

Shane was going to retort, but the warning bell rang and the teacher walked in. He was a fairly young man, looking no older than thirty five. He stood at about 6' and was fairly burly, though nowhere near close to Jake and the guys. He had a lighter skin tone than most of the people here in the reserve, along with light brown short hair and typical dark brown eyes. He seemed nice; a pleasant smile fixated on his face. Slowly, his eyes scanned the students until his eyes danced over our direction. Calmly, he walked towards us.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Beck, is there a problem here?" his eyebrow raised as he spoke so the other students wouldn't realize.

"No sir," the two replied in unison; Jacob through gritted teeth.

"Good. Mr. Beck, to your assigned seat please."

Shane squeezed my shoulders, briefly, before getting up. He stood right in front of Jacob; his 6'2 build not really enough to reach Jake at 6'7. He must have whispered something to Jake, before bumping his shoulder while leaving, because Jacob growled again. At that, the teacher looked up at him; more than slightly confused.

"Ah, Mr. Black. It's a pleasure to see that you have decided to stay longer than just a semester this year," happiness seemed to fill his voice. "And who do we have here?"

"It's a pleasure to still be here sir," Jacob said, moving to stand beside me before placing an arm on my shoulder. "This is my, err...friend; Samantha Uley, Sam's sister."

"Mr. Heith," he declared, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

Extending my hand to grasp his own, I realized the piece of paper on my desk. He shook my hand, keeping his gaze fixated on my face. I started to feel both uncomfortable and nervous. It's quite awkward to stand there shaking your teacher's hand only to have him keep looking at you like you were going to disappear any second.

"You resemble your mother so much," he mumbled.

I was taken back, "You knew my mother?"

"I knew both your parents," he replied, finally letting go of my hand.

Without really thinking, I picked up, and handed, Mr. Heith my paper to sign. He chuckled at my, seemingly, lifeless action but pulled a pen out of his breast pocket. He signed it before smiling to me and handing it back. As he walked back to his desk, he mentioned putting my name on the seating arrangement sheet and said I could stay in the desk in front of Jacob.

Moving from my flank to the seat behind me, Jacob Black kept his hand on my shoulder. The gesture sent a shiver throughout my entire body; a good shiver. I don't know if he felt it or not, but he, reluctantly, let his hand drop. Involuntarily, I felt the corners of my mouth drop into a frown and restricted myself from turning around to face the freakishly large boy.

Math passed with Mr. Heith drawling on about algebraic equations. To be frank, I almost leapt for joy after the bell rang. Jacob laughed behind me as we exited the classroom and walked the buzzing hallway. Looking down at my schedule, I saw that I had drama next. As I hitched my, newly obtained, math text book higher on my hip, I turned to Jake.

"What do you have next?" I questioned, looking up to see him looking back at me.

"Geography with Mrs. Sanders-you have her after I do. She's really nice, you'll love her," he mused, continuing to walk to his next class.

"Wh-where's my drama class?" confuses in a small school was embarrassing, I should have just tried to find the room myself.

Jake opened his mouth to retort, amusement twinkling in his eyes, but shut it. A wolfish grin plastered its self across his face. At this, I raised an eyebrow. Why was he grinning when I was confused? Did this amuse him? In the midst of my thinking, a hand came up and clipped me on the back. Only this time it wasn't hard enough to send me flying forward. This time, too, a voice followed it.

"'ey Canada. Are you lost or something? I thought the schools you went to before were bigger than this-and yet you're lost!" Embry joked behind me.

I turned around to see both Embry and Quil with big grins on their faces. Scoffing, I walked past the pair and rejoined the flow of students trying to get to class. I didn't need to turn around, though, to feel the presence of the guys behind me. After a while though, one presence left which meant that Jacob had gone to his geography class.

Smirking to myself, I walked into the classroom with 'Ms. McPhaden's Class' on a piece of laminated paper above the door. I walked in, well aware that Quil and Embry had stopped outside the door, and headed for the teacher's desk. Handing her the slip I needed signed, I realized that she was a young teacher; about twenty eight. She stood no higher than five foot five, and was of Caucasian descent. Her long blonde hair and baby blue eyes were like a boy in a group of girls; it stands out, especially when everyone here has dark brown hair and eyes. When she handed me back my slip, I realized that Quil and Embry had seated themselves on a few giant blocks that were scattered throughout the room.

I walked over and sat upon a rather small purple block, awaiting the day's lesson to start. When it did, the activity was required to be performed in groups of three and I was adopted into Quil and Embry's group. We had to put together a skit where a husband and wife were to either a) bring a baby home from the hospital, b) catch a toddler trying to sneak a cookie before supper, or c) catch a teenager with a boy/girl in their bed. Unfortunately, the boys chose the latter. Needless to say, it was very hard to keep a straight face while acting with these boys.

When class ended, I walked with Quil to geography and met up with Jared. Mrs. Sanders seemed nice, just like Jacob said, and I found her to be one of my favourites of the morning. Geography ended just as quickly as it came, and I was saying goodbye to Quil and Jared and off to find my music room.

It turns out; the music room is in the hallway that's at the front of the school. When you walk in, after crossing the front foyer, the hallway directly in front of it contained the music room and a few practice rooms. When I walked in, I was quickly grasped up in a hug by Seth. I giggled before muttering a hello to him and Paul.

Mr. Ghost handed me back my slip and escorted me to the back room where all the instruments were kept. When he left me there, I took the time to look at my surroundings. There were various cases that were missing their contents, obviously being used by the class. All of the brass instruments looked cool to learn how to play, as did the woodwinds. The percussion section looked appealing, but something impeticular caught my eye. I grabbed hold of the case and took it out by the neck, restoring the case to its slot on the shelves.

I walked out of the room examining my instrument and caught Mr. Ghost looking at me from across the rom. He smiled at me and I returned it, walking off to a corner and sat in a chair; dropping my bag and books to my side. Placing my fingers on a few cords, I brushed my fingers over the hole. The sound of the acoustic guitar vibrated a few more seconds before finally fading away. Mr. Ghost walked up to me and handed me a book with various short songs, warm up tips, and all the cords in it. Apparently, it was constructive to learn to play instruments by yourself; so that's what we were doing.

I must have not been paying attention, because when a hand was placed on my shoulder, I jumped. Turns out, it was none other than Paul; come to tell me to pack up. Surprised that he was the only one not packing away his instrument, I asked him what he played.

"I play the drums," he stated as he proceeded to pull out a drumstick from his bag and twirl it between his middle and fore finger.

"Really?" I asked, amazed.

"Yea, and I'm pretty good at it too."

"I would have never pegged you as a drummer."

"You learn something new every day," Paul mused, tossing his arm around my shoulders as Seth exited the back room.

He opted to put my guitar away for me and I thanked him greatly when he grabbed it and walked away. Paul looked down at me with a lopsided smile and I raised an eyebrow. He chuckled and shook his head, nodding towards Seth when he emerged from the back room again. Seth made his way towards us and picked up my math and geography text book. I threw my bag over my shoulder and moved to take my books from him. He wouldn't let me take them though, mumbling about being curious to carry a ladies books. Paul laughed again and pulled me through the classroom door when the bell rang.

The three of us walked to Paul's locker before heading to Seth's and then to mine last. Jared joined us at Paul's locker, having one beside him, and Quil added to our group at Seth's, with a locker right next to his. As we neared mine, I noticed that Jacob's locker was to my right and Embry's was to my left. I put in the combination and pulled open my locker, being sure to not hit Jacob with it. Though, out of the corner of my eye, as I put my math text book, geo text book, and music book in my locker, Jacob pulled my door open all the way and leaned against it.

"Ready to go to lunch?" he drawled, close to my ear.

I nodded my head and walked with the guys to the caf. Thinking that it would be warm and welcoming, seeing as it's such a small school and all, I froze when we walked through the doors and everyone turned to us; to me.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

"J-Jacob?" I squeaked, through a whisper.

I could feel him stop beside me; Seth walking into his back because he wasn't paying attention. Embry bumped into me, from having his attention directed on talking with Quil. Jared and Paul continued into the caf though, clearly not really aware of what we were doing. And if all of the eyes in the caf wasn't enough, the four boys surrounding me added to the staring. I squirmed underneath it all, clearly uncomfortable.

"Wh-why is everyone staring?" I asked, moving slightly behind Seth; slowly as to not draw more attention.

Looking up at his face, I could see him scan the entire caf. When he turned back to look at me, there was amusement twinkling in his dark eyes. He leaned towards Seth, whispering something incoherent before righting himself. Seth, then, proceeded to walk to the servery line as I stood there gawking at the boy. I looked up at Jacob, only to see him looking at Seth still. Slowly, I backed up until Quil's big build hid my body completely. Embry snickered from my right.

"Scared Canada?" he whispered, amusement laced within his voice. "It makes it hard to believe your old school was larger than this."

I cast him a glare, at which he chuckled. He threw his arm around my shoulder and nudged Quil in the arm. When he turned around, Embry leaned towards him to whisper in his ear. Quil smirked before looking at me and taking off to the line with Seth. Having lost another one of my human shields, I pulled Jacob in front of me. I was holding onto his biceps, from behind, as he was forced to face the, remaining, stares.

Embry leaned towards me, dropping his head so his lips were equal to my ear. "As much fun as this is, I'm going to go and grab something to satisfy my stomachs growling."

I opened my mouth to speak, but by the time I had he was in line. Blinking, just to make sure I wasn't seeing anything, I released Jacob's arms. He turned around and looked at me with that amused glint in his eyes. I quirked an eyebrow at him and shifted my bag's strap on my shoulder. Jacob's eyes darted to my bag and then back to me.

"Here, I'll carry your bag for you," he motioned his hand to grab it.

Slowly, I released it and let him slip it over his shoulder. All the while, though, I was captivated in the dark depths of his eyes. Naturally, I was shocked when his hot hand slipped under mine and grasped it, tugging me forward gently. He pulled me towards a table near the servery line, where Paul and Jared already had their trays full of food. As Jacob dropped both our bags behind one of the empty two-seater benches, Seth walked over; his tray just as packed as Jared's and Paul's.

Jacob turned to walk to the line as I took a seat at the table, pulling my bag onto my lap. Sensing I wasn't following him, Jake turned around and quirked an eyebrow in my direction. I pulled out a brown paper bag and saw him nod his head before taking off towards the line. Placing my bag back on the floor, I plummeted my hand into the bag and pulled out my shiny red apple. Seth, to my immediate left, popped a French fry, covered in ketchup, into his mouth; eyes set on me. I could feel his eyes searching over my profile before lingering towards my apple. As my teeth sunk into the skin, proceeding to cause the juice to run down my chin, Seth decided it be time to speak to me.

"Is that all you've got for lunch?" he questioned, as Paul looked up from his tray; on the other side of Seth.

"No. Emily packed one for me," I said, looking down at the over sized bag.

Quil and Embry sat down at the table across from me, as I replied to Seth. Jared, who sat on the bench to my right by himself, looked up at me and dropped the piece of pizza he held in his hand. Embry stared at me while Quil eyed my brown-bagged lunch. Just as I was sure everyone was going to grab for my bag, Jacob sat down beside me.

"Did you not get enough to eat on your tray, or are you all just pigs?" joked Jake, taking a bite from his cheeseburger.

"Emily packed her lunch," Paul mumbled, licking his lips while eying my lunch.

I took another bite of my apple, putting my hand back into the bag and pulling out a baggy with homemade chocolate chip cookies. On the bag was a sticky note, at which I chuckled before biting into the warm and gooey cookie. I could have sworn I saw Quil and Embry drool from across the table. Beside me, Jacob shook his head with a grin directed towards the drooling boys. Deciding to play with these boys a little more, I placed my finished apple down on the table and picked up the bag of cookies, I pulled one out and turned to Jacob, one hand holding the cookie for him to eat and the other underneath ready to catch the melty cookie if it were to fall.

Jacob smirked, obviously catching on, and bit into the cookie. He savored it, making 'mmm' noises after swallowing. He turned to me and finished the cookie, mumbling about how good they were. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the jaws of the boys on the floor. Jake, obviously enjoying toying with them picked up a cookie and held it out for me. I decided to take a small bite and then leaned up to whisper in Jake's ear.

His smirk grew in size as he placed the half eaten cookie in the middle of the table, grabbing my lunch bag and pulling me closer; awaiting the frenzy. I giggled as all the boys around the table went to grab at the cookie and all ended up bickering and trying to grab the bit off cookie with their large hands. Seth ended up with the bit of the cookie, and smirked in triumph as he ate it happily.

Quil then decided to attempt to grab my lunch from me and Jacob. He got up from the bench, and proceeded to reach his overly large body across the table. I squeaked something I've got to stop doing, and clutched Jacob's shirt; pushing my body closer to his. Quil must have made a grab for the bag, because I could feel Jacob shift beside me and hear Quil huff.

As I removed my head from Jacob's chest, and released my hold on his shirt, I looked up into the faces of the boys. Embry and Quil were looking at Jacob, weird smirks on their faces. Paul and Jared exchanged glances with each other before turning towards both Jacob and I. Seth looked at me and smiled, a warm and inviting smile, before looking up past Jared's head. At that, I turned to look too, only to find Kim, who I have recently found out, is Jared's girlfriend, coming to sit with us.

She sat down next to Jared, pulling his gaze from Jacob and me to her. The others, too, retreated their gaze from us as Kim greeted everyone around the table. When she turned to my bench, she looked at Jacob then to me, and smiled really big like the other boys did. As she greeted him, it was clear in her voice that she was excited. Her eyes caught mine, after a brief chat with Jake, and her smile grew in size; if that was even possible.

"I'm Kim, Jared's girlfriend. We never really had a chance to speak the first time we met, I hope you are better after what happened," she trailed off, not sure if she had offended me or not.

"Nice to meet you Kim, Jared's told me about you quite a bit in geography. I'm Samantha, Sam for short. And yes, I've pushed that day far from my mind, thanks for asking though," I was being polite, nobody bothered to mention that day after it happened.

Jake tensed beside me as I tried to fight off the images that were threatening to emerge from deep within my subconscious. The struggle, though completely within in my head, seemed to show to those around me, for several of the boys did the same as Jacob. My battle to fight off the images was lost when the car-full-of-boys-staring-at-the-bushes-behind-me-where-the-huge-wolves-emerged-from appeared. At that, my hands shot to my head clutching and clawing at it to try and get it to stop. I hadn't noticed, but silent tears were pouring from my eyes.

Acting fast, Jacob and Seth had gotten me out of the caf and to my locker. Jake was the first to sit down, pulling me to his lap and rocking us back and forth, with his arms wrapped around my stomach. Seth's hands were desperately trying mine to stop from clawing at my head. Even though he had immaculate size and strength over me, he still wasn't able to draw my hands away.

I felt a liquid drip down my wrist from the palm of my hand. Not paying it any attention, I continued my frantic attempt. Jacob, once again, tensed. Seth, this time, was able to pry my hands from my head. My hands were balled into fists as both Jacob and Seth examined them. It was then that I felt a sting of pain from my plans. Opening my eyes, I could see the two staring down at my hands. Slowly, I uncurled my fists only to see four fingernail sized cuts in each palm.

Jake grabbed both my wrists, and held my hands palm up; squeezing just hard enough to make me keep my fingers spread. Seth got up from his crouching position and ran down the hall. Turning to look at Jake, I could see his eyebrows knitted together and his eyes showing a pain so intense it hurt to look at him for so long.

A sound down the hall caused me to look up. Seth was returning with various items in his hands. As he neared Jacob and me, the items became clearer; tissues, cleaning solution, cotton balls, and a big cloth that looked like it could wrap all the way around my hand. Dumping all the things onto the ground beside Jacob and me, Seth popped the cap off the cleaning solution. He dabbed my palm with a tissue before holding it under my hand and pouring the solution over my hand.

I winced, trying to recoil my hands but Jacob held them steady. Seth, carefully, dabbed a cotton ball over my cuts to suck up the excess solution. He then cut the cloth into two identical pieces and wrapped around each palm, tying it in a tight knot at the palm. When he pulled it tight, I hissed in pain, and Jacob released my wrists.

Still in his la, I turned around so my back was against his chest. I could feel the heat coming off of him, as my body moved up and down with his breathing. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my head back, involuntarily ending up with my head in the crook of his neck. Where his skin made contact with mine made that part seem to tingle. Jacob's arms traveled to my waist, while he turned his head to speak to Seth. The boy was gone; with the things he'd come with, again and back just as fast as before.

"Sam," he started, taking a seat to my left, "why-"

"Would you still care for that date?" Jacob cut him off.

"Jake that was rude!"I said.

"Sorry, Seth?"

"I figured it out before I was finished asking."

"Yes, I would love to."


	15. Chapter Fourteen

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Seth expanded from his crouching position so he towered over me. I laughed at him as he stretched out his muscles, leaving him with a calm and relaxed face. He smiled at me, real big, before slowly walking down the hall towards the caf. It was only then that I realized I'd left my stuff there when Jacob and Seth had pulled me into the hallway. Trying to stand, and failing miserably at it, I slumped back into Jacob's chest. I could feel the reverberation in his chest as he chuckled, his hands still glued to my waist. I let out a breath, in a huff, and placed my hands on his thighs; trying to push myself up from Jake's lap. It was like trying to get out of a chair you sat on that was just coated with super glue.

After a moments struggle, three overly large bodies rounded the corner and advanced towards me and Jacob. A grin instantly plastered itself upon Quil and Embry's faces, Seth cracked a small smile. When the three boys were a few lockers down, Quil and Embry burst out into fits of laughter. Their large bodies vibrating as they pounded their fists against the lockers in front of them. It took them a few minutes, and a few tries, but eventually they calmed themselves enough to actually stand upright and form coherent sentences. Quil, with his hand on Seth's shoulder to keep himself from falling, looked down at my struggling form and nudged Embry. Beside Quil, Embry stood, sans assistance, and looked at Jake and I with a smug smile.

When Jacob finally released his hold on my waist, I stumbled forward and ended up sprawled out, face down, in the middle of the hallway. The boys, still unstable from their first round of laughter, spiraled into another fit. Their laughter, booming and extremely loud, seemed to shake the whole hallway. Not to mention, by the noise they were making, I was surprised they didn't destroy the lockers by how hard they were hitting them. When I pulled myself into a sitting position, in the middle of the hall, I could see Seth trying to stifle his laughter with his large hand. Heck, even Jacob was trying to stop from laughing at me. Though, it wasn't working because the vibrations of his stifled laughter caused his locker door to shake.

I looked at my, so called, friends, laughing at my misfortune. Seth seemed to be the only one not roaring with laughter and came over to help me to my feet. When he extended his hand, for me to take, I couldn't help but glare at the rest of the boys; still laughing at me. As he helped me up, and brushed my legs and back from dust he thought I had obtained, he too was sending a glare to his oversized comrades. That surely shut them up when they looked over and saw it. Embry and Quil stood, side by side, frozen; just staring blankly at Seth, though there was a hint of shock and confusion in the mix. Glancing down at Jacob, it was clear that he wasn't expecting the glare from Seth. But, after a moment or two, he shot a glare right back at the boy; only harder.

Seth's demeanor seemed to falter greatly, and he stopped brushing myself free from dirt. It seemed that he had joined Quil and Embry in becoming human statues. The only movement from him was the slight rise and fall of his chest and he breathed. Quil and Embry, though, seemed to snap out of it. Quil, looking shocked as ever, backed away and nearly sprinted down the hall. Embry inched closer to Jacob and slowly placed his hand on his shoulder. At the feeling of contact, Jacob stopped glaring at Seth and directed his attention to me. His dark brown eyes looked up at me with the most adorable puppy dog eyes ever.

At that, I didn't really seem to notice, or care, that Seth had left, or that Embry was on the other side of Jake; pulling books from his crammed locker. All that seemed to obtain my attention was the 6'7 russet giant sitting on the floor across from me. Taking a step in his direction, a smile spread over his lips and he got to his feet; never once having his gaze falter. As he reached his arms out, for me to accept, a student running late bumped into me; causing me to fly in Embry's direction. Somehow, he had caught me; I would have sworn he was facing the other way when the kid had bumped into me, but I could have been wrong.

When I looked up at Jacob, I saw that he was yelling and glaring at the boy who'd bumped into me. The boy, a measly freshman, looked like he was shaking with fear. He clutched his back pack strap with both hands, on his shoulder. He was no taller than my 5'8 self, and was a fairly lanky boy. Upon his feet he wore a pair of running shoes that looked ready to trash, and over top of those he wore a simple pair of navy blue track pants with a navy blue t-shirt to match. His brown hair was shaggy and looked in dire need of a good brushing. Upon his face were a pair of round framed glasses; that sat just past the bridge of his nose. Compared to Jacob's 6'7 body, he looked like an aunt; it was completely understandable that he was afraid.

"Watch it, freshman," Jake growled, taking a threatening step towards him.

"Jake-" Embry was silenced by a growl erupting from Jake's chest.

The boy started to shake ferociously, his whole body vibrating as he tried to stand in front of Jacob.

"Jacob," I said, sternly.

Slowly, he turned around to look at me; being held up by Embry. He looked like he was ticked, but looked down at me and it quickly turned into a grin. I moved myself away from Embry and towards Jacob. I had so many questions I wanted to ask the boy. For one, why he was so darn protective of me; he was worse than me father! Not to mention that he can freaking growl; animal growl for crying out loud! Bringing my arm up, slowly as to not arise panic, I placed my hand on Jacob's cheek. I could feel him tense, and moved my hand off his skin, letting it hover a millimeter from his cheek. A whimper flew past his lips and I could see him hesitate to move closer to me and grasp my arm, keeping my hand firmly on his cheek.

"Jake," I breathed, "what is up with you?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked, his breathing hitched.

"I'm talking about how you can make animal like noises, and how you're more protective of me than my own father."

"I do not make noises like an animal, unless you want to test out my animal instincts after school at my place," he winked down at me.

I scoffed, "Jacob Black that is highly inappropriate!"

"Aw, but you know you're intrigued," he drawled, placing my other hand on his other scorching cheek. "You did, after all, agree to go on a date with me."

"Maybe it was a mistake."

His face was absolutely priceless. It reminded me of one of those _Master Card _commercials playing on the TV back home all the time.

_Going on a date with Jacob: _$45

_Finding the perfect outfit for the date: _$75

_Gas for Jacob's Rabbit:_ $20

_Seeing his face when I joke around about agreeing to his date offer so his ego won't make his head so big he won't be able to go through any doorway: _Priceless

I smirked in return, taking a small step away from him. Though, as I moved backwards he moved forwards. A squeal escaped my lips as he advanced faster than I was able to back away. I could tell by the evil and mischievous glint in his eyes that I was going to pay for my previous remark.

Luckily, for me, the final bell rang. Moving quickly, I dropped my arm to pick up my bag and bolted after Embry; on our way to English. The both of us were laughing while we were running, fully aware that Jacob was bound to be following us. As we neared the classroom, according to Embry, I could hear Jacob breathing from a few feet behind us. After a few moments, though, we came upon what I assumed to be our English classroom.

With Embry opening the door, and ushering me through like a gentleman, I saw a fairly young man sitting on top of his desk. He was no older than twenty nine, and couldn't have been shorter than 6'. For a teacher, he was deviously handsome. Having shaggy blonde, short, hair with the added blue eyes wasn't the only thing eye catching about the man. For, he was half Caucasian and half Quileute. Unlike the other blonde haired teacher at the school, he didn't draw as much attention to himself with his skin still with a russet tinge.

As I made my way towards the teacher, to have him sign my slip, Jacob and Embry slipped into the room and made their way to their desks; near the back, beside each other, with a vacant seat in front of Embry. Approaching the desk, my heartbeat began to increase; as embarrassing as it was to admit it, he made me feel uneasy in a good way. When I got close enough, he turned his attention to me. Then, he smiled; one drop dead gorgeous smile. My breath hitched in my throat, and I stood frozen on the spot. I received a few chuckles from the teacher, before I snapped out of it and handed him my slip.

When he handed me my signed slip back, he placed a hand on my shoulder while he indicated the seat in front of Embry. After getting over the shock that he'd laid his hand upon me, even if it was just my shoulder. As I took the seat in front of my friend, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Embry giving me the strangest look. At that, I raised an eyebrow and looked at Jacob. Unfortunately, that didn't help my case. Jacob was looking between me and Mr. Bradey; glaring at him yet giving me a horrified look.

Utterly confused, I ripped off a square from a paper in a notebook and scribbled a note to Embry; asking why him and Jacob were looking at me so odd. Within minutes, the paper dropped on my desk from over my shoulder. Unfolding it, quietly and quickly, I scanned the note over and scoffed. They thought I was flirting with the English teacher. I was appalled. Hastily, I wrote back and explained that that was completely preposterous. This time, I didn't have to wait that long to get the note back.

**Right, the whole class saw you basically drooling over him.**

_Oh my god! Would you shut up! I was not flirting with the damned teacher!_

**Face it Canada, you're intrigued by the teach.**

_Embry! Knock it of_

As I was writing my reply to Embry's false accusation, Mr. Bradey had stopped beside my desk and looked at me. Nervous under his gaze, I'd halted my reply, and looked up at his stern face. He extended his hand to me, indicating for me to hand him the note. Hesitantly, I did. And I had to watch him read it over. When he'd finished, his eyebrows had disappeared to his hairline. Though, before he left, he smiled at me and shook his head.

Behind me, Embry shoved my shoulder and muttered so only him and I could hear.

"So much for not flirting with the teacher."

At that, I frowned. I wasn't flirting with my teacher, was I? Sure, I found him handsome, but I was pretty sure other girls thought the same. And on top of that, I had feelings for Jacob. I was sure of it, I mean; I could be myself around him without feeling awkward. When he smiled a wolfish grin my way, my knees went weak. And when he laughed, though it was deep and husky, it sounded beautiful to me. Maybe I didn't just have feelings for him. Maybe I was _in love with him._


	16. Chapter Fifteen

I was frozen, and completely out of it, during the entire lesson. Yes, I was half aware of Mr. Bradey teaching the class, and the rest of the class responding. But I just couldn't get that one thought to completely process in my head. I was…in love? With Jacob Black? Who I'd met not too long ago? It was absurd! There was absolutely no way that I could fall in love with him in such a short amount of time.

"Miss Uley."

Yes, Jacob Black was very appealing and overly attractive. Yes, it would be understandable to eventually develop intense feelings for him. Yes, he's the type of boy that you develop a crush on from the moment you meet. But, there was no way I'd fallen like this so fast; it just couldn't be possible.

"Miss Uley."

And even if these feelings were in fact love, there'd be no way I could tell him. He'd think that I was crazy! Not to mention that he'd never return the feelings. And even if he'd like me, telling him that I loved him would scare him away; and make me look like a complete idiot. It would be so awkward being around him if I did tell him and he didn't feel the same way. Even hanging around the other boys would be awkward.

"Miss Uley, could you please tell us your answer?"

My answer? Had I found an answer? Yes, I suppose I had. Taking in most outcomes and what would happen, I'd assume the answer was unanimous. Simple.

"I'm not going to tell him," I stated, not 100% aware of my surroundings at that time.

After my statement, the room was silent; for a minute before the class began to laugh. Everyone was laughing while the teacher shot me a mixed look. It was obvious he knew I wasn't paying attention, but he wasn't expecting a reply like the one I'd given. He was shaking his head, again, and motioning with his hands for the class to calm down. When they finally had, when he spoke the amusement was clear in his voice.

"Your answer to 'why Juliet decided to seek out Friar Laurence for help when Romeo was banished' is 'I'm not going to tell him'?" Mr. Bradey asked.

The blood rushed to my cheeks and stayed there while I sunk down in my seat. My hair fell in front of my face as I lowered it a bit; trying to hide the blush that tinted my cheeks. Mr. Bradey looked at me, probably enjoying my embarrassment; causing my blush to rise.

"Next time, Miss Uley, keep your head out of the clouds and down here where it's supposed to be," with that, he turned back to the black board and continued with the lesson.

I could feel my fellow classmates' stares even after Bradey had turned to the board; they were penetrating. I was very tempted to keep shrinking further and further down into my seat; hopefully disappear. But no such luck came my way, and I couldn't shrink further down without falling out of my seat and attracting more attention to myself. So, I settled for slumping forward, my hair falling to hide my face, and coping down what Bradey was writing.

When the bell finally rang, I sprang to my feet and exited the room as fast as I could; I ended up being the first student to exit the room. As I made my way, rather quickly, through the hallway, I didn't care that none of the guys were with me. I just didn't want them to laugh at me while I went to my French classroom. It was relatively easy to find, seeing as the teacher was standing outside her door and greeting her class at the door; and the big sign above the door with 'Ms. Evans' on it helped too.

"Ah, bonjour Madame! Est-ce que tu es le nouvelle élève dans ma classe?"

She had greeted me, just like the other students, in front of the door. So, I now stood with the other classmates walking around me to get into the room. Not to mention that the teacher talks quite loud, so she drew quite a bit of attention our way when she greeted me.

"Oui Madame."

"D'accord. Entrez-vous, et prend la chaise a cosse de Monsieur Clearwater si vous-plait."

After she handed me back my paper, I turned to go take my seat by Seth. He had the biggest smile on his face I'd ever seen. As I took my seat, he started talking about what his previous class was like, what they did, who the teacher was, and who was in it with him. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention to him going on and on. No, I was watching as more and more students filled into the classroom. Paul and Jared were amongst the ones I saw walk in; they sat at the back, we were two rows from the back.

"Isn't that the best thing ever?!" Seth asked, drawing my attention.

"Um, yea; sure is," the uneasiness in my voice was evident; I was sure.

But, never the less, Seth Clearwater just beamed at me. I smiled warmly back at the boy and proceeded to dig around my bag for my note book. I'd found it when the final bell rang and the class started to quiet down, awaiting the teacher to being the lesson.

"Okay, les élèves, today nous avons une petite quiz to quiz you on how much français you remember. Cet just pour moi de view how much progress you've made par le premier jou."

Groans erupted from everyone in the room; clearly they'd had to take a similar test on the first day of school. The teacher walked to the first of the isles and handed the first person six tests saying, "Take one, and pass it back." She made her way down the remaining four isles and was just about to hand the fourth isle, my isle, our papers when the door burst open.

Standing in the doorway, was none other than Shane. Also known as my worst nightmare. While in the doorway, he scanned the classroom; eyes landing on me. A smirk flew to his lips as he sauntered into the room. The teacher had stopped handing out the tests and turned to scold Shake Baker for being late. But as she opened her mouth to speak, he beat her to it.

"Sorry, got held up by my last teacher. Call him if you would like, he'll tell you the same thing I am," his tone was…smug, he knew he'd get away with it.

Dismissing him, Madame Evans indicated for Shane to take his seat. It was only then that I became aware of the empty seat behind me. Frantically, I looked around the room to find another vacant seat. But to no avail. Shane Baker was going to sit behind me, in front of Paul, and make my life a living hell.

When he walked past my desk, he made sure his arm brushed against mine. After he sat down in his desk, he pulled his chair closer to his desk. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the desk, leaning closer and closer to me; I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, causing the hair there to rise. Having him that close to me unnerved me, I didn't approve of it or like it at all. I knew better than to let a shutter ripple through my body, he was going to think I liked him this close. So, I tried my best to remain as still as possible.

Beside me, I saw Seth turn to hand the person behind him the quiz. And because he turned to his left, he was facing me. And because he was facing me, he saw Shane leaning closer to me and me tense. He had a similar reaction as Jacob would have; he growled, though not as aggressive. Shane's breathing stopped hitting the back of my neck, and I turned to look at Seth.

"Thank you," I mumbled to him, while accepting the quiz passed to me from the person in front of me.

I saw him nod before turning to his paper and begin to write something down. Placing a test on my desk, I had to turn around to give Shane the remaining two tests. Though, when I turned around the scene I was faced with shocked me a bit. Paul's left arm was vertical; his hand gripping onto Shane's left shoulder, while he was leaning forward and whispering into his ear. Shane's face portrayed no emotion; no sense that Paul's grip might have been a bit too tight on his shoulder; no hint to what Paul was whispering hastily into his ear.

At the front of the room, Madame Evans began explaining a few instructions about the quiz. After that, she let us start. We were given the whole period, and if we were to finish early we were to do something quiet.

The test was relatively easy, there were a few questions that had to be reread several times and the answers were well thought out; or written more than once. I finished the seven paged quiz with fifteen minutes to spare. Though I wasn't the first person to finish, there were still quite a few people who'd yet to. While walking back to my desk from the teacher's, I could see that Shane, Paul and Jared had yet to finish; Seth finished moments after me.

When I sat down at my desk, a note from Seth dropped onto my lap. I picked it up; examining it like it would blow up. Beside me, Seth made hand motions for me to open it and read it.

_What's the problem with you and Shane?_

**First period, we didn't exactly see eye to eye.**

_Meaning what?_

**Meaning that he was hitting on me first period.**

_What?! He was hitting on you? A sophomore? That's so unlike him._

**Yes me, a sophomore. What's so bad about being a sophomore? You and all the guys are one too.**

_He's a junior, well was supposed to be a junior but got held back. Yes, both you and I are sophomores, but Jacob Quil, Embry, Jared, and Paul are all supposed to be juniors._

**But Jacob, Embry and Quil are all sixteen.**

_Turning seventeen. Jared and Paul's birthdays already passed. Kim and Leah are both in their proper years-juniors. Colin and Brady, you've yet to meet them, are both freshmen._

**Why are Jake and the others in the wrong year?**

_They left school near the middle of the year, almost, because Jake's friend moved to Forks and a series of events happened after that…_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

I left French class with more questions I wanted to ask Jacob, than I had going into the class. After looking at my schedule for a brief moment, I saw that I'd be able to get answers to my questions sooner than later. I made my way to the art room, where study hall was held. And when the room came into view, a smile broke out onto my lips. I could see Quil, Embry and Jacob settling down at a table for four.

When I entered the room, I handed my paper to the teacher; who proceeded to explain why, on paper, the class is called 'study hall/art'. Because not everyone liked art, there weren't enough students to form an art class. So, instead of saying that nobody at all was going to get the chance to do art, they decided on making study hall in the art room. Soon after, they couldn't just call the class 'study hall'; they had to call it 'study hall/art'. At the first chance to escape the lecture, I did.

As I approached the table, the boys were chuckling and shaking their heads. Quil and Embry, sitting across from each other, were mumbling about how the art teacher always tries to get the class to do artsy things, while most just want to sit around and talk. I took a seat beside Embry, across from Jacob, and put in my two cents about the lecture I'd just received.

"He sounds very hostile about having to share his room with the students who don't want anything to do with art. First chance I got to leave, I did. He sounds a little crazy."

At that, Quil began cracking up; completely agreeing with me. Embry nodded his head in agreement. I turned to Jake, to see if he felt the same way, but noticed that he was just staring off into space with a determined look on his face. I turned to Embry, to ask what was wrong with Jake, when he spoke.

"Is Baker in your French class?" he asked, his hardly serious face was just determined to find his answer.

From my previous experience with the two boys together, I feared the outcome of explaining the situation with my French class. But as my gaze remained on Jacob, I found myself wanting to at least admit to Shane being in my French class. Maybe even tell him that Shane Baker sits behind me.

"Yea, he sits behind me."

"Where do Paul, Jared and Seth sit?"

"Jacob, what-"

"Samantha, just answer my question," his voice rose and I could tell he was getting frustrated, "please," it softened when he saw the shock in my eyes.

"Seth is to my right, Paul is behind Shane, and Jared is to Paul's right."

Jake nodded and pulled his backpack onto his lap. I looked at Embry and Quil and saw the two sharing a knowing glance before doing the same as Jacob. Sighing, I stood and walked towards the art supplies. I could feel the teacher's eyes on me the second I had walked over to the supply cabinet. Obviously, he wasn't used to a lot of people doing art during study hall.

While walking back to my desk, I was trying to balance quite a few objects in my hands. Embry, being the only one of the three who was facing me, got up and relieved me of a few objects. As the two of us were placing everything on the table, Quil looked up at us.

"What the hell is all this stuff anyways?" he asked, staring at Embry who just shrugged his shoulders.

"No idea. It's all Canada's, I just carried some of it for her so she didn't make a bigger fool out of herself," he stated, smiling knowingly at Jacob.

"Oh yea, that was-"

"All of this stuff Quilium," I cut Jacob off, not wanting to relieve English, "are things I need to draw."

"I figured that much, but what is everything?"

"I've got a board, paper, charcoal, pencils of all different thicknesses, rubber, and a few pieces of white and black chalk."

Embry and Quil's next questions were asked at the same time. Though, obviously, Embry's question was far more intellectual, if you could say that, than Quil's.

"What are you planning on drawing?"

"You can draw?!"

(I'll leave you to figure out who said what, but I'm pretty sure it's obvious.)

I just shook my head at the boys and clipped my paper to the board and set it up, leaning it against the desk, in the most comfortable position. Picking up one of the finer pencils, I looked around the room to see if anything in here interested me. Quil and Embry were playing paper football to my left, and Jacob was reading a book for English across from me. So that's what I started to sketch out.

After sketching, I used the charcoal to start shading various parts. For example, I had to shade the shadow Jacob's short hair received on one side of his head. To make the picture look more lifelike, I smudged some of the shaded areas and made it look softer or harder; depending on the angle of the boys. Finally, I used both the black and white chalk to provide the picture with a bit of light.

As I was finishing up, Mr. Legrow walked by. He bypassed Quil and Embry and directed his eyes straight to my drawing. He gasped and leaned forward to pick up the board. After looking at the drawing, and looking up at my surroundings; which were now corrupted because of his gasp, he handed me it back.

"Miss Uley, you sure do have a talent in art. Could I, perhaps, put this in the front of the school in the display?"

By now, the three boys were trying to get a look at the drawing I now clutched to my chest. The thought of hundreds of people seeing my art work scared me, as I liked to keep anything I draw or write private.

"Thank you, Mr. Legrow, but I'd rather keep it. I don't like people looking at my work."

Legrow looked at me before walking away, mumbling something about art at this school being useless. Though, the second he had left, Jake, Quil and Embry all tried to get a look at the picture. Fortunately for me, the supplies I was using had been collected by a boy and were put away. The only thing I had to put away was the board.

Clutching it to my chest, I picked up my bag and made my way over to the cabinet. Unfortunately for me, the three boys followed me; whining about wanting to see it. Because Jacob and Embry were both tall, it made it a bit more difficult to cover up the drawing. Whereas with Quil, he wasn't as tall as Embry, he was broader; he was bigger muscle wise, it was fairly easy. Though, he was more persistent than the others.

"Can I see the drawing?"

"No."

"May I please see the drawing?"

"No."

"Samantha, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top!"

"Quil, no."

"Sam-"

"I said no Quil!"

"I was just going to-"

"Quil."

"But-"

"No."

Embry snickered, and clipped Quil on the back; who was mumbling and sulking to himself. When Embry heard what Quil was mumbling about, he began to laugh and clipped him again. Intrigued by what was said, even Jake had a grin on his face from learning what Quil mumbled; I turned to the burley boy.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"It can't be nothing if both Embry and Jacob got a kick out of it. Now, what did you say?"

"Do I get to see the drawing?"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"I'll think about it."

"No."

"I bet you'd let Jacob see it."

"I beg your pardon?" There was absolutely no way he knew that I liked Jacob.

"I said, I bet you'd let Jacob-"

"I know what you said. What makes you think that I'd let Jake see it?"

"Well, for one, he im-" he stopped himself, and by the looks of the other two, they were going to as well. "He imitates puppy dog eyes very well, he can get anything he wants with them."

"Really now?"

"Yes, he's quite persuasive with the ladies."

"I'll have to keep that in mind for later reference," I turned to Jacob.

"You're puppy dog eyes never worked on, oh what was her name again, Bella was it? Bella Swan, up in Forks. What happened with her, and who is she?"


	18. Chapter Seventeen

The three went ridged. Absolutely stiff. I doubted they were breathing. Though, I could have sworn I saw Embry and Quil look at Jacob a few times but I'm not sure. Feeling a little bit worried, I walked up to Jake and waved my hand in front of his face.

"Jake? Jacob, Jacob Black, are you alright?" my voice was soft and unsure.

On either side of Jake, I could see both Quil and Embry come to life; so to speak. Each turned to me and opened their mouths, if it was to tell me about his Bella girl I've not a clue. But before any sound could be uttered from their lips, Jake lifted his hand; a signal for them that he would be the one to explain hi and Bella's relationship.

"What do you know about Bella Swan?" or not.

"Not much, but-"

"What do you know about Bella Swan," his voice was hard, strained. Obviously she wasn't his favourite subject.

"I know…I know that…," to actually utter those five words that burned my mind wasn't easy; I didn't want to remember anything from the conversation about Bella.

"What do you know about Bella Swan?!"

His tone of voice, the tense atmosphere around us, my broken heart breaking again at the memory of my conversation in French class, and the note with the conversation on it burning a hole into my pocket resulted in my outburst.

"That you're in love with her!"

Conveniently enough, the bell rang just after I yelled; and made an even bigger fool of myself than I had in English-which I didn't think was even possible. When it did, I was off. I'd decided against running though, I didn't want attention drawn to me; I walked faster than I normally would. As I continued on my way to gym, somebody fell into step with me on my right hand side. For some reason, I knew who the person was without even having to look. And with that same reason, I knew that he was always going to be there for me.

"He doesn't like to talk about her."

"I figured that much Em," my tone was harsher than intended, so I shot him an apologetic look.

"Just, let him calm down a wee bit, before talking to him; okay."

"Alright, thanks Emmybear. Hey, could you hold these for me?"

"Decided on what you're going to call me, or else I might not respond to the fifty odd nicknames you already have picked out," he winked at me while taking the books I held in my hand; while I took a drink from the water fountain.

As he handed me my pile back, I could see his eyes lingering along the upside down drawing. I rolled my eyes. These boys were so curious about my drawing, that it was amusing the lengths they tray and push me to see it. Though, I had to give Embry credit; he had the picture in his hand yet he never looked at it.

"Go on," he looked up at me and cautiously moved his hand to take the paper off the top of the pile.

When he flipped it over, his eyes bulged out of his head. He actually stood, in the middle of the hall, with his eyes out of their sockets and his jaw on the ground. People who were trying to get by to get to their classes on time shot the two of us nasty glares for being an obstruction. Snapping my fingers in front of Embry's nose, he shook his head and looked at me; handing me back the drawing.

"You drew that?" he asked, amazed, as we continued walking to gym.

"Yea," I was really shy when it came to my stuff, so my voice was laced with my nervousness.

"Wow."

"Good wow or bad wow?"

"Definitely a good wow. Who taught you to draw like that?"

"My mother."

"She must be talented. I bet she-sorry, I forgot."

I chuckled, half heartedly. Sam was the one who didn't like her brought up. But because I was fairly young, id didn't bother me as much.

"It's alright. All my memories of her include her hair up, a pencil behind her ear, paper in front of her, and some utensil in her hand."

"Do you remember what your first drawing was of?"

Laughing, I replied, "Yea, mom, me, dad, and Sam, all stick figures, in front of our house. I think my dad keeps it in a box somewhere, probably in the attic along with all my mom's things."

"He doesn't want to let her go?" it was supposed to be a question, but it sort of came out as a statement.

"No. And that's why he likes it when I draw."

Embry smiled and threw his arm around my shoulders, heading the two of us towards the grey set of double doors. "You should do it more often then."

I just laughed and pushed against the bar, opening the door to reveal a relatively average sized high school gym. Boys and girls all lingered on the bleachers, though they seemed to be on separate sides; like there was a line dividing them down the middle. I spotted Jared and Paul with Seth near the middle and Quil with Jake at the top. Feeling the stares from the girls side burn into my back, I looked up at Embry; who was watching me, nodded, and released his hold on my shoulders. Although the stares, which I'm pretty sure were glares, never decreased.

The bell went as I made leave towards the bleachers to take a seat. As I did so, two teachers walked out of the office, a male and a female. The male, approximately 6'5 and two hundred or so pounds, couldn't be any older than thirty five. He had a shaved head, maybe about two months ago or so, but his dark brown hair formed stubble on his head. Dressed in track pants, running shoes, a sport t-shirt, and a whistle, his piercing brown eyes scanned the boy's side.

The girl, who looked to be his sister, stood at 5'6. She was, by far, smaller than her brother, one hundred and forty pounds. But, she shared the same facial structure and features. She had the same piercing brown eyes and dark brown hair; which fell just past her shoulders in a pony tail. Along with her brother, she wore a pair of track pants, running shoes, a sport t-shirt, and a whistle. But, in her hands she held a clipboard; she too was scanning the bleachers, but the girl's side was where her eyes lingered the most.

"Uley?" she called out.

Nervously, I raised my hand and managed to get a "here" to squeak past my lips, but I doubt she heard it. Both gym teachers' eyes zoned in on my nervous form, and proceeded to stay on me for what seemed like hours. Finally, though, the male teacher tore his eyes away from me and toward the boy's side.

"Black?!"

"Yes sir?"

"Take Miss. Uley here into the office and help her find a uniform that fits."

"Yes sir."

"The rest of you, get changed and meet out here on the bleachers."

As everybody stood, I did too. The girls went to the change room on the left hand side and the boys went on the right. I watched as Jacob walked down from the top of the bleachers, and started to follow behind him after he passed me. He seemed to be taking bigger strides than he usually would, and as much as I wanted to speak to him about it, I didn't.

Inside the office, Jacob pulled open the doors to a metal cabinet on the right side of the room. There were several boxes inside the cabinet, each labeled with either 'GIRLS' or 'BOYS' in big letters, along with what article of clothing was inside. I noticed that he pulled out a box with 'GIRLS GYM SHIRTS' on the side. When he opened the box, he didn't even look at me.

"What size?" and there was absolutely no emotion in his voice.

"Medium," I replied the same way.

He rifled through the box until he found a medium, which he then tossed at me. Catching it, I watched as he pulled out the box labeled 'GIRLS GYM TANKS'. This time, he didn't even ask me what size. He just tossed me another medium. Again, he pulled out a box, 'GIRLS SHORT GYM SHORTS'. And again, another medium was tossed my way. As he went to grab the 'GIRLS GYM SWEATERS' box, I stopped him.

"Men's," that got him to look up at me.

"What?"

"Men's. I want a men's sweater, medium."

He just continued to look at me as I scanned over the other boxes; I still needed to receive the track pants and shorts. I told him that I also wanted those two in a men's medium. When he didn't move for a moment or two, I moved to do it; getting tired with him freezing so many times. That, though, seemed to snap him back to reality, and he got me a men's medium sweater, track pants, and shorts.

With that, I gathered all my things, sent a nod Jacob's way, and walked off to my respective dressing room. Removing all my school clothes and jewelry before slipping into the girls gym shirt and boys gym shorts, and searching for my running shoes in my bag. I emerged from the change room, last, with my shorts riding dangerously low on my hips and my shirt not meeting any fabric, and sauntered to the girls side to take a seat.

"Okay class, girls vs. guys basketball," Mr. Andrews instructed.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

The boys began mumbling amongst themselves in excited tones, whereas the girls weren't so enthusiastic.

"Coach," one girl whined, "do we have to? I just got my nails done!"

Both gym teachers looked at each other before turning their attention back to the girl. She was from the reservation, it was clear by skin tone, but she had blonde hair; obviously dyed. Even sitting down, one could tell that she was 5'5; and that she was going to bitch and complain about anything and everything, but that was just something I picked up on. Upon her slender figure, she had on the girl's short gym shirts and girls gym tank. With the amount of makeup that coated her face, it was obvious she was one of those Barbie dolls.

"It's either basketball or laps on the track," replied Coach Wells.

She groaned, but that was all that was heard from her. One girl, two down on my right, raised her hand. When called upon, I knew that I was going to like her.

"Are we to divide into teams amongst ourselves, or will we go in shifts?"

Coach Andrews looked over at her before addressing the whole gym, and telling them that it would be all the girls vs. all the boys; we'd be coming on and off in shifts. Though, she did say that everyone had to be on at least once. When Andrews called the boys to ones side and Wells called the girls to the other, I walked up to the girl who asked the last question.

At about 5'7, she was built the same way I was. With the typical brown hair, brown eyes, and russet skin, it was clear that her parents were both from the res. She wore the girl's gym shirt and girl's gym shorts, basically the same as I did. Her hair was up, much like mine, in a pony tail.

"Hi, my name's Samantha," I stated, extending my hand for her to shake, a smile on my face.

When she turned around, a smile broke out on her face; shaking my hand after grasping it quickly. My assumption was right, I could tell. We were going to get along quite well.

"Rebecca, Rebecca Mooney. You're related to Sam Uley, aren't you?"

"Yea, he's my brother."

"Funny, growing up I remember seeing your brother and even hearing of him. But I don't remember you."

"I was born and raised in Canada, my brother was born here. Him, my mom and dad moved away to Toronto before I was born and Sam came back here four years ago. My dad and I just moved here a while ago."

"Well, welcome. It's your first day, a basketball game the first gym class against the boys isn't as bad as most of the girls make it seem."

At that, I laughed. She looked at me with the most quizzical expression I had ever seen, which made me laugh even more. Throwing my arm around her shoulders, Embry's habit is wearing off on me; I leaned into whisper in her ear; like I had a secret no one else could hear.

"Just between you and me," I looked to either side just for added effect, "these boys don't stand a chance."

A smirk plastered its way onto her lips, as she threw her arm over top of my shoulders in return.

"You are my new best friend," she stated, beaming like a mad woman.

My smile cracked into a toothy grin as I laughed along with her; the two of us taking our sweet time to reach the bench. When we got there, we found out that Coach Wells had already decided on who was going to be playing on the first shift. After the ball had been tossed into the air, she told us that she'd made a wager with her brother and was saving all the skilled players till the third and fourth quarter. At that, she turned to me.

"You any good?"

Still smiling, I nodded my head; to which she gave a single nod and turned back to the game. Coach Andrews obviously wanted to get ahead quickly, as she played Jared, Paul, Embry, Quil, Seth, and Jacob on the first shift. And, naturally, his sister was livid.

"Who does he think he is? Playing all six of them at once?" she kept saying.

I'd have to admit this sooner or later, but, the boys were quite good. Because of their immaculate height, it wasn't that hard for them to dunk the ball. And with their impressive speed and agility, they were quite magnificent to watch.

At the end of the second quarter, we were down seventy-four to ten. All the girls that'd played the first two quarters were wiped, and walked towards the water fountain for refreshments. Whereas on the boys side, things were quite different. Everybody there had an even amount of time to play in the first two shifts. And the only tired people were the ones who'd just come off of a shift. Coach's grip on the clipboard was lethal, and we awaited her to tell us which of the twelve girls who hadn't played would be starting the third quarter. Finally, she turned to us.

"He's most likely going to play the tall lot again, so I want you to come hard fast. Make up for as many baskets while you're still fresh legs. The second you get tired though, tap you head and new legs will be there to take your place. Got it? Right. Mooney, you take to the left of Uley, Montez you take to the right. Uley, you're taking the jump ball against Black, Mooney, you've got Call and Montez you'll be against Ateara. Scott, James and Wright, you'll take defense. Seth, Jared and Paul take defense for the boys, so be careful and remember quick passes. Don't give them a chance to ever the ball. Ready? Go on, take your positions."

Myself, Rebecca, and four other girls, Montez, Scott, James, and Wright, turned away from Wells and noticed that all the boys were already in their positions. That was how she knew who we would be up against. Scott, James and Wright positioned themselves to play defense, leaving the forwards to walk onto the court. Montez stood in front of Quil and got straight into her playing position. Walking with me onto the court, Rebecca and I were studied by the boy's team.

I took my spot in front of Jacob and she took hers in front of Embry. Quil, being Quil, decided that he was going to rile up most of the girl's team. This, on his part, wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do. But hey, it is Quil.

"Hey Coach! I think you should have upped the antics! There's no way they'll have a chance at winning! And with Uley going for the jump, piece of cake."

"If you've got something to say Ateara, say it to our faces," Montez barked, causing Quil to turn around to see all our angry faces; mainly mine.

"You wouldn't be able to handle it sweetie," Quil replied.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"If I turned to talk to you, you wouldn't be able to resist me."

"That's funny. Because you've turned and are talking to me, and guess what? I'm able to resist you. Actually, you're quite repulsive right now. A big ego and cockiness don't look good on you Ateara."

With that said, everybody started cracking up. Everybody, that is, except Quil; Jake even chuckled briefly. Quil stood there, looking at everyone who was laughing at him, until finally he gazed over to me. Maybe it was the fact that I was one of the ones laughing the hardest, or maybe it was the fact that I was clutching my sides and leaning against Rebecca for support. Whatever it was though, it seemed to aggravate him quite a bit.

"What are you laughing at Uley?" he demanded.

I'd never seen Quil Ateara so serious before. If it were under any other circumstance, I probably would have stopped. But for some reason, I couldn't. And it seemed that the longer I continued to laugh, the more upset he was going to get. So, I tried my hardest to get my laughter to subdue. Though, the best I could do was down to a slight chuckle.

"You wouldn't think it was so funny if people knew how many embarrassing things you've done today."

That shut me up.

"You wouldn't dare," my tone was threatening, menacing even.

"I'm beginning to think that you're all bark and no bite."

"Bring it Ateara."

"Then put your money where your mouth is."

"You're on."

"Loser does whatever the winner wants for two whole days."

"Within reason!" Wells called from the girl's side.

"Within reason," added Quil.

"You better hope I'm in a good mood on those two days, Ateara."

"Keep dreaming Uley, this bet is already won. You don't stand a chance."

"Keep talking; let's see how far it gets you."

"Clearly-"

"Guys," Embry cut in.

"What?!" Both Quil and I turned to face him in unison, as well as screamed at him.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to start the game."

Quil and I looked at each other before we both walked off to our designated spots. Coach Andrews walked to center court with the ball in his hands. And after checking to make sure we were all at the right length, he stepped back. Once he threw that ball in the air, it was game on.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

I lost the jump ball. This looked very bad on my part after all those cocky replies to Quil. But Jacob, with his long arms, was able to get one to the ball fast enough to tip it to Embry. And so began the third quarter.

"Mooney! Watch for Call on the left hand side!"

"Put yourself in between Black and your net Uley!"

"Come on Montez, put some hustle into it!"

"Wright, help Montez cover Ateara!"

"Put yourself in between the net and Uley, James, she needs help!"

"Help out Mooney, Scott!"

"Hustle girls, hustle!"

Coach wasn't of much help from the sidelines.

Embry put it up, from the key, and it went in. Scott went to retrieve the ball, while all the boys jogged back to their side. When Scott looked for an open man, she tossed it out to Wright who then tossed it back to her. As she fell into step with me, she passed me the ball.

"Let's see what you got Uley."

On the bench, Coach was going insane; the whole gym could hear her, no doubt the whole school.

"What is she-why-Scott! Now is not the time to be goofing off and seeing who's better than whom!"

Of course, Wells was only looking out for her own arse. Whatever this bet was with her brother, it was evident she didn't want to lose. And with this bet with Quil, I really didn't want to obey everything he says for two whole days. So, I think Coach Wells and I will agree on one thing today; there is no way in hell the girls are going to lose.

Dribbling the ball, I slowly advanced my way down the center of the court. Ateara, Call and Black all slowly made their ways towards me, leaving Mooney and Montez wide open. Dribbling between my legs as they got closer, I bounce passed it to Mooney between Call's legs; resulting in him looking confused.

Mooney and Montez ran down the wings while I trailed behind in the middle. As Mooney neared Jared, she passed it to me; and I passed it to Montez. Paul seemed to enable Montez from moving anywhere, so I ran around Seth; into an open area, and called for the ball. Receiving the ball, well outside the three point mark, I was wide open; I put the ball up.

As I ran past Quil, to go onto my side, I leaned in closer to him.

"Swish swish baby."

Yea, my three pointer had gone in. Who'd have figured? Well, I would have. My specialties lie in free throws, I can do them pretty much from anywhere, penalty shots, dunking, and defense. So, I had a good assumption that my three pointer was going to go in.

·

At the end of the third quarter, the score was ninety-two to seventy. We'd done quite the catching up in the third quarter, much thanks to my ten three pointers, Montez's six two pointers, and Mooney's four two pointers plus her one three pointer. The other six girls did score a bit, but us three were the outstanding ones.

Scott, James, Wright, Mooney, Montez, and I were going to be starting against Black, Call, Ateara, Clearwater, Redwood, and Quinn; same positions.

This time, I won the jump ball. I batted it forwards, towards an inching Montez who then tore down the court with James in two. Two more points for the girls.

Seth tossed the ball into Paul, who went to make a quick pass to Jared but was intercepted by Scott. Two points girls.

Jared threw the ball in, this time, to Ateara; who just happened to be in front of me. He was trying some fancy dribbling, but the ball got lost between his long legs. I was able to snatch the ball and make my way down the court. Jumping to put it over Seth's head, I got the ball to head straight for the basket. Three points.

·

There was just under a minute, fifty seconds, left to play. Coach Wells had the other girl's line on, where as Coach Andrews had just taken Ateara, Black, Call, Clearwater, Redwood, and Quinn off. When one of the boys inbounded the ball, a girl, who I believe name is Sue, bolted like a bat out of hell to retrieve it. She was able to do a layup and sink us another basket. The score now stood boys one hundred and girls ninety-nine.

Wells called for a time out. All the girls on the court headed toward the benches. When everyone was present, she proceeded in telling us her plan.

"You girls have done great; I want you to remember that. And no matter what happens, I want you to know that I'm proud of you. Now, here's what I want you to do. Sue, you'll inbound the ball to Casey and then run off so I can put Samantha in. Casey, from there I want you to pass the ball to Katarina, clearing up the middle for Samantha to run through. After that, Katarina, you pass the ball to Samantha. And Samantha, when you get the ball, go for a dunk; really stick it to them."

"And if it doesn't work?" asked Sue.

"Just place yourself between the nearest boy and out net, and try to retrieve the ball."

The buzzer went, meaning that the timeout was over. The girls and boys who had played before the timeout returned. Sue was given the ball in the corner. After Andrews blew his whistle, she inbounded the ball to Casey and ran off the court; I ran on. Casey passed the ball to Katarina, but it was intercepted by a boy.

He'd been able to get to the top of the key but that was as far as I was going to let him go. I was defending that net like my life depending on it. Several times, he tried to turn around but I just wasn't going to have it.

Suddenly, his elbow jabbed into my stomach with only ten seconds on the clock. Right after that, his other elbow came up and jabbed me in the nose. I went down with five seconds on the clock. With my face against the hardwood, I could only hear the things going on around me. The swish the net made when the ball went though it sounded at the same time as the whistle, just seconds before the buzzer went.

With one hand clutching my nose and the other my stomach, I wasn't in any position to right myself. I did, however, clench my stomach a few times in pain.

"Foul!" Coach Wells argued.

"No it's not! He didn't hit her, she's just faking it," Coach Andrews argued back.

Things went quiet for about a minute, the only noise I heard was the sound of my groaning when another wave of pain hit. But suddenly, Embry's voice came into the equation, and it was getting louder and louder.

"I know someone who got a perfect view of what happened. Jacob. He was sitting right there and the incident happened right there. It happened right in front of him."

If I could see what was going on around me, I'm sure the whole gym would have turned to Jacob right now.

My attention was drawn to the other pair of footsteps that made their way over. But because they didn't speak, I had no way to identify who it was. Though, as four hands went to lift me up, Embry and somebody else, I could see that it was Seth.

Looking down at the ground, to where my face had been, I saw a bigger-than-small puddle of blood. I looked down at the hand that had been holding my nose to see it covered in my blood.

"Damn it," I murmured, thinking it was broken.

No sooner had the words escaped my lips, Embry stepped in front of me. He cupped my chin with one hand and the other probed my nose a few times. It hurt, sometimes, when he touched different areas of my nose, but all I did was wince.

"It's not broken, thankfully," he stated, stepping back.

"Thank you," I mumbled, to both Embry and Seth; who handed me tissues to clean my face.

When I tried to stand up, I was still hunched over, I winced again. The pain in my stomach was worse than the one associated with my nose, far worse. Seth and Embry's attention immediately snapped to my hands clutching my abdomen.

"Samantha," Embry said calmly, as he got on his knees in front of me; trying to pry my hands away. "Where does it hurt?"

Seth, behind me, was able to hold my arms back as Embry lifted my shirt up; to just under my breasts. My eyes were shut tight, because of the pain, so I heard a chorus of gasps as my shirt was risen.

"I've got good news and bad news," stated Embry as he released my shirt. "The good news, your nose isn't broken. The bad news, at least one of your ribs are."

I groaned in pain and allowed myself to slump against Seth. Embry took the tissues from my hands and wiped off the remaining bit of blood that I missed.

All girls were still arguing about it being a foul, and most of the guys were shouting it wasn't. Paul, Jared and Quil al got them to settle down for Jacob to say what he saw.

His eyes were on me the whole time, even when he was through speaking. "It was a foul, she gets two penalty shots."


	21. Chapter Twenty

If I wasn't in so much pain, I would have smiled. We were only down by one; we still had a chance to win this. Fifty seconds were put back on the clock. The boys who'd played when I was injured, as well as the girls, all lined the key; waiting for my second shot.

The ball was passed to me. And as I went to extend my arms upwards to shoot, I winced and dropped the ball; clutching my abdomen like it was going to fall apart. Embry was the first person to my side, and helped me off to the boy's bench; which just happened to be closer. Coach Wells put Scott in to take the shots.

Her first shot was good, but her second bounced off the rim and into the hand of the boy who'd injured me. Once that ball was in his hands, he took off like a bat out of hell. The girls were able to hold him off, and it looked like the game was going to end in a tie with ten seconds left.

But, that boy was a sneaky bugger. Somehow, he was able to get around Scott. Then Casey. Then Katarina. And with five seconds left, streak to the basket. He went up for the layup, and the buzzer went off. The boy's side erupted in cheers. He'd made the layup.

Andrews was just as excited as his team, maybe even more. He was hooting and hollering along with the rest of the boys. Myself, seated on the boys bench, was thrown a lot of 'in your face's or 'you didn't stand a chance's. Embry scoffed, and leaned towards me.

"You don't have to sit here if you don't want to. I'll walk with you to your change room if you'd like."

"That'd be great Em, it really would."

As he crouched down, for me to toss my arm behind his neck for support, Jacob and Quil appeared to our left.

"See Uley, I told you that you'd lose," Quil stated happily.

Opening my mouth to retort, Jacob cut me off.

"Quil, I doubt that's entirely fair. She is, after all, injured."

"And what do you suppose I do about it? It was a freak accident."

"When she's all healed up, let her take two penalty shots. If she sinks both, she wins the bet. If not, you do."

I grunted, not very lady like but it served its purpose. Both Quil and Jacob turned to look at me. Even though I was in pain and hunched over, I extended my hand in Quil's direction. He just looked at it though.

"You're supposed to shake it," I stated.

"Why?"

"The better man won."

"What?"

"Really Quil, really? You beat me, fair and square."

"Really?"

"It was a freak accident. It could have happened to anybody."

Quil just beamed, though Jacob seemed a bit upset.

"How can you say he beat you fair and square when you could never take your penalty shots?" Jake questioned.

"Simple."

"How?"

"I just say it so."

He gave me a puzzled look. Clearly my tactics didn't make sense to him.

Quil and Jacob left Embry's and my side, though, when Andrews called them back over. When we got close enough to the girls' side, Rebecca was getting up from the bench to help me to the change room.

I hesitated, wanting to ask Embry something. But as he lifted my arm carefully from my shoulders, he whispered in my ear.

"You can tell me, when you're finished in there."

Nodding my head, I allowed my new friend to lead me into the changing room. Considering our clothes had been left fairly close to one another's, she was able to help me when removing a shirt or putting on a shirt became too painful.

"I'm going to give that boy a piece of my mind," Rebecca would mumble every time I winced or groaned from the pain.

She sounded like a mother, which if I could I would have laughed at.

When I was dressed, Rebecca picked up my bag and books and walked me to the door and into the gym. The both of us jumped when we saw Embry waiting at the side. Rebecca handed him my stuff before saying bye and heading back into the changing room.

He carried my bag and books in one hand and helped me walk, and stay balanced, with the other. Slowly, we made our way towards the door to exit the gym.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" he asked.

"I was just…just going to ask something."

"What was it?"

"It was just about Jacob."

"Oh?"

"I was wondering why he went from not talking to me at the beginning of the gym period to trying to stand up for my part in the bet with Quil."

"He's just…a very complicated boy."

"After the whole Bella dilemma?"

"Ah, you could say that."

"I don't completely understand what happened with her. When I was talking with Seth, I didn't get to finish writing my last question for him to answer."

"Seth?"

"Yea, we were passing notes in French class."

"Could I see the note?"

"Yea one-hold on," my phone buzzed in my bag.

Carefully reaching into my bag, I pulled out my LG Rumor and read the phone number that the incoming text was from; Sam.

_Hey kiddo. Dad just called me from work and said that he won't be home until late. So he asked me to pick you up and make sure you're alright home alone till he returns. I'm on my way to the high school, I'll be there in a few minutes. I am awaiting to hear how your first day went-Sam. _

Embry, awaiting me to pass him the note, patiently waited while I read it over. When I'd finished, and looked up, he looked at me; expecting me to tell him about it.

"Sam's picking me up," I said, sliding my phone back into my bag.

He nodded his head and we continued toward the exit. Along the way, Jacob and Quil joined us on Embry's left. And moments after, Seth, Jared and Paul added to my right.

The bell rang, and before we were aloud out of the gym, we had to promise both Coach Andrews and Coach Wells that I'd go to the hospital tonight.

When all the guys went to head towards their lockers, Embry and I made a beeline for the parking lot. The pain in my stomach was growing with each and every movement I made.

Reaching the parking lot, we both spotted Sam's truck at the same time Sam saw us. He drove over and got out, only to look at me in horror.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain later, she needs to get to the hospital tonight."

"At least tell me what's wrong with her!"

"She's got at least one broken rib, from the looks of it."

"And he didn't?"

"I'll tell you later."

Sam looked at me and then to a car in the parking lot. He ground his teeth together before pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. With an aggravated sigh, he looked at me and carefully took my arm from Embry's shoulders. He then proceeded to help me get into the truck.

My eyes were dropping and my head began to spin. I could hear Sam telling me to stay away, and Embry texting on his cell phone. But I just couldn't will myself to keep my eyes open.

The last thing I remember before I was out was Embry texting away, and Sam's voice, "When I see him next, I'm going to kill him."


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

When I woke, I could hear the voices of three guys; all of which I could identify within seconds. Taking in my surroundings was difficult. Where ever I was was too dark.

The voices of Embry, Sam and Jacob faded as the sound of approaching footsteps got louder.

"Carlisle says you can go into see her. He said that he just needs to run a few tests before she can leave," voice was angelic; it was quite enjoyable to listen to. "Oh, and by the way, she's awake."

How did he-?

The door burst open and Sam's large frame filled the doorway, allowing minimal light to seep past him. Over top of his shoulders, I could see Jacob's head; Embry's forehead was all I could see. Sam flicked the light on, causing me to squint and shut my eyes. And when I opened then, the three boys were surrounding my bed.

Sam grasped my hand and pulled a chair up to my bedside. His overly large body seemed to spill out everywhere in the tiny chair he occupied. And in the tiny room, they all seemed out of place; like they could touch something and it would break instantly. Never the less, Sam's grip on my hand didn't loosen as he ran his thumb over the back of it.

"Now, will somebody please tell me what happened to my baby sister?!" Sam asked, looking at the two boys.

Embry's eyes traveled to mine, where Jacob's stayed on my abdomen.

"I said, somebody tell me what happened to my sister!" there was a certain commanding tone to his voice.

Both Jacob and Embry seemed to struggle to stand after Sam had made his…command. The two appeared to shake under some invisible presser. Until, finally, one cracked.

Sam's eyes had been on Jacob, like he was trying to force him into telling with his eyes. So naturally his head snapped in Embry's direction when he opened his mouth.

"Charlie Baker was playing rough today in gym class. She ended up on the wrong side of the net. It was a complete freak accident. None of us were on or saw it coming," confessed Embry, who looked like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Charlie Baker? Shane has a brother? Oh God…

And what happened to Charlie Baker after that?"

"He scored the winning basket after Jacob declared that Charlie's hit on Samantha was a foul."

"Is that the only thing you did Jacob?"

Again, neither boy replied.

And again that tone came to Sam's voice, "Is that the only thing?!"

"She," Embry began in a soft voice I barely caught, "brought up Bella Swan."

Jacob had left the room well before the sentence was finished.

"You and I both know, Embry," Sam hissed dangerously low, "that that shouldn't bother him under these circumstances."

"I know that," hissed Embry, "but it still angered him."

Mumbling something else, Sam turned to look down at me while Embry sat at the food of my bed."

"What day is it?" I questioned, only remembering getting into Sam's truck.

"Thursday."

"I've missed three days of school?!"

"Well its three o'clock, so yes; three days of school."

"I'm going to be so far behind."

"You're not going in tomorrow, and the guys will collect all you've missed and tutor you this weekend. Sound alright?"

"As long as I make up for what I missed."

He nodded his head as the doors to the tiny room opened up. A man in his early to mid twenties, with golden blonde hair and porcelain white skin, walked into the room with a folder in his hands. When he moved, though, it was like he wasn't touching the ground at all; like he was gliding.

"Ah, Samantha, it seems that the surgery was a success. My name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen, and I just wish to do a follow-up check up. It will only take a moment."

As he stepped towards me, a smell hit my nostrils. It was sweet, almost too sweet. It was as if all the sweets in the world were combined and rubbed onto this extremely attractive man.

Beside me, Sam tensed a little; but that was all. Embry, on the other hand, got off the end of my bed and left the overly tiny room.

Dr. Cullen asked me to sit up and lift my shirt. I did as instructed. When his porcelain white hands touched my stomach to make sure the operation was a success, I flinched back; he was freezing!

He laughed and said that he'd just come from the freezer to retrieve a few antibiotics for me. I just accepted it and let him continue making sure I was alright. Though I did wince a few more times.

After the check up, which only lasted two to three minutes tops, he pulled a pill container out of his pocket and handed it to Sam.

"She is to take one in the morning, at lunch, and at night with food. There are enough here to last her two weeks. When she finishes them, bring her back and I'll just make sure everything's running smoothly."

Taking the container from Dr. Cullen, Sam stood up and shook his hand; thanking him for performing the surgery on such short notice. Dr. Cullen told him to mention it and that if something ever comes up then he'll contact Sam.

When Sam nodded, Dr. Cullen left the room. Only to return a few minutes later with a fray full of food. Sam's eyes opened wide at the amount that was on the tray. Before Dr. Cullen left, he said I was to take one of the antibiotics. After taking the pill, and eating a bit, Sam finished off what was left; he had to go.

My eyes followed him as he walked to the door and flicked the lights off; again the only light was filtering in around his body. I couldn't make out his features; my eyes had yet to adjust to the obscure lighting.

"I'll be back to pick you up in a bit sis, then tomorrow's your resting day," he stated before closing the door behind him.

I lay there, just looking up at the ceiling. Jacob had left when Bella was brought up. Obviously he still had strong feelings for the girl. There was no way that simple and plain old me could come into comparison to her. Damn lucky girl. She didn't even choose Jacob! She chose to be with someone else. And yet, she still has Jacob.

It's just not fair at all. She was obviously made to choose either Jacob or the other guy. And in picking the other guy, she still has Jacob so hung up over her, like she's picked him instead, that she could tell him to do anything and he'd do it; it's clear.

Somewhere between my intense dislike for Bella Swan and my immense dislike for Jacob's choice, I fell asleep.

Only to be awoken I don't know how many hours later by voices surrounding my sleeping form. By the feel of three separate cushions underneath me, I could tell I'd been moved to a couch.

"Paul, you idiot, that was for Sam when she wakes up!" Embry declared.

"Sorry. I was hungry, sue me," replied Paul, mouth slightly full.

"We can sue you, you clean out my fridge every time you're over!" argued Jared.

"Oh would the two of you shut up? You're going to wake her." Sam.

"Yea and I want her fully rested to carry out our bet." Quil.

"That bet was crap to begin with Quil, we all know that. Yea, her side was coming back strong, but you knew coach was going to make sure one of us was playing last shift to insure victory." Embry.

"Whatever. You're just jealous that I get Samantha to do whatever I want for two whole days."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of this." Sam.

"Me either," Jacob and Seth chimed in unison.

"Oh would the lot of you shut up!? You're making it very difficult for a girl to get sleep!"

I opened my eyes to see them all looking down at me. Most of them had bewildered expressions on their faces. But, as always, Seth had a huge smile on his face.

"How is it that you can be lifted from a bed, carried down stairs, put in a car, driven here, and only wake up when we start talking?" Paul asked, lifting my legs and sitting beneath them.

"You're all so loud!" I said with a smile.

Shaking their heads, everyone moved to take seats in Sam and Emily's living room. With the chatter in the room, the buzz of a cell phone wasn't dreadfully loud. I picked it up, from beside my thigh, and examined it. When I read the ID on the incoming text, I knew who's phone it was.


	23. Chapter TwentyTwo

Jacob relieved me from the phone just as I'd read the ID. 'Bella Swan' was illuminated in white letters on the black background. It was those two words that sent me back into my rant about my dislike for the girl I'd never met.

The quick movement from Jacob, snatching the phone and going into the kitchen, caused all attention to suddenly drift my way. Even Emily had come out of the kitchen to enquire about the lanky lad.

"Bella texted him," came my simple reply.

A look seemed to come over everybody's faces. I couldn't quite decipher what it meant, but I could tell it was mixed. Confusion, realization, compassion, anger, discretion, worry, and sympathy. Most of them, I realized, were directed my way.

"Could you drop me off at home, please, Sam?" I questioned, sitting up properly for the first time since my operation.

The quick movement caused little pain, but that was expected.

Sam looked at me from his arm chair across the room. He opened his mouth to say something, but Embry stood from his spot on the ground; leaning against the couch.

"I'll stay with her until your dad comes home," suggested the boy.

Folding and unfolding his arms over his chest, my brother deliberated the situation at hand. It was evident that I didn't want to be around Jacob, and it was probably obvious about my dislike for the girl he fancies. All I knew was that I didn't want to be here any longer.

"Let me get my keeps and we'll go," he stated.

A weak smile worked its way upon my face. Though it was weak, the ones I received in return were the complete opposite. Jared and Paul flashed me a playful smile before Paul said that the two would knock some much needed sense into my neighbor. Seth was just beaming, as always, and bounded forward to give me a hug. Shaking his head and laughing, with a playful grin, Quil came up to address me before I left.

"Monday and Tuesday," he stated simply.

Nodding my head I repeated him, "Monday and Tuesday."

"You best be ready Uley."

"Is that a challenge Ateara?"

"I think that's enough you two. Get along and play nicely," interjected my brother.

I pouted, like a two year old deprived of cookies, and crossed my arms over my chest, "But Sam," I whined, "I don't want to play nicely!"

I guess my perception of a two year old was quite good, because Quil fell back onto the couch griping his sides. His roaring laughter was contagious, it seems, for before I knew it we were all in fits of laughter.

That is, until one Jacob Black walked into the living room with a smile on his face and his phone in the palm of his hand.

He looked up at us all, completely clueless, as our laughter subsided. His massive grin shrank into an expression which read he would freak if you spoke.

"What's going on?" he asked after a moment's silence.

All eyes, every single last pair, fell on me.

Great.

Without even bother to answer Jacob's question, I turned to face my brother, "I would like to leave. Now."

That set off, what appears to be, a chain of events.

Sam moved towards the door, grabbing his keys off the end table in the process.

Emily walked back into the kitchen, mumbling something about chocolate chips cookies.

Hearing Emily's mumbling, Paul and Quil eagerly followed after her arguing about who was going to get to lick the bowl.

Seth and Jared heard Sam mumble about a football game being on and made their way to the television room.

And Embry, Embry went to follow after Sam; expecting me to be right behind him.

His assumption would have been right, if it hadn't been for Jacob grabbing hold of my arm as I went to go. I didn't bother turning to look at him; I didn't want to look at him. I just wanted to be away from him, at all costs.

"Samantha-"

"Jacob let me go," no emotions caressed my voice.

"But-"

"I said, let me go!"

Embry, at my sudden loud outburst, came rushing back to the living room; with Sam in tow. He was instantly to my side, keeping his gaze straight at Jacob.

"Jake, just let her go," Embry tried reasoning in a very calm voice.

"Stay out of it Em!" Jake fired back. "I thought you were my friend! I thought you were there for me through whatever!"

"I am your friend, Jake, and I am going to be there for you through whatever. Just-"

"No! If you're there for me then you'll piss off and let me talk to her in peace."

"What if she doesn't want to talk to you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She only wanted to leave because of you."

"Is this true, Samantha?"

I could feel three sets of eyes fall onto my still from. Looking towards the doorway, I could see Sam standing in it. To my side, Embry was looking at me, awaiting my reply so the both of us could exit. And Jacob, whose grip never faltered on my arm, was pleading with me, with is eyes, for it not to be true.

I couldn't look at him for too long, heck I couldn't look at him at all.

"Samantha," his voice, his pleading voice, was going to break me unless I got out of there fast.

"Yes," my voice was weak for a moment until I regained it. "Yes, it's true."

In his moment of shock, I was able to release his grip on my arm. Though, the second bodily contact was removed, he seemed to come out of shock. His eyes were wide and his voice cracked.

"No, no, no, no. Samantha, you can't!"

Embry put himself between Jacob and I. He placed his hand on my shoulder and pushed me gently towards the front door. Looking up at Sam, I saw him looking behind me to either Embry or Jacob; I couldn't tell which.

"Sam, surely this can't be happening! You can stop them, please stop them!"

I had to shut my eyes to focus on what I was doing, I was leaving. I didn't want to be near Jacob. Not when he's absolutely in love with a girl who will never return the favor. And surely not while he changes his mood towards me every five seconds.

"I'm afraid the decisions' up to her, Jacob, it's not up to me," Sam replied coolly, moving out of the doorway for me to pass through.

Just as I was about to exit the house, I whispered the last thing I intended on saying to him in a while, "goodbye, Jacob."

When the door was shut, to Sam's old pickup truck, a sound that will haunt me for a while came from the trees nearby. It even seemed to scare Embry and my brother. The two of them froze, before looking at each other.

The sound of a wolf, in pain, howling, is not something pleasant to hear.

______

Sam pulled up in front of my house and cut the engine. Embry climbed out of the passenger seat and walked around back to the flat bed just as a clap of thunder roared. I hopped into the passenger seat, from the middle, and opened the door.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks Sam. I'll call you if I need anything," he nodded.

Following Embry up the pathway to the door, I fished my key out of my bag and opened the door. The house was dark, really dark. Flicking on a switch to illuminate the living room, I walked to the kitchen to flick on that light.

After turning on the light, I hollered to Embry to see if he wanted anything. No reply came. So, I walked out to the living room. No Embry.

"What the-"

A flash of lightening and a clap of thunder sounded, and knocked the power out. As well as knocking a slight scream from my throat. When somebody's hand came in contact with my waist, though, I screamed bloody murder.


	24. Chapter TwentyThree

"Whoa, whoa, it's just me."

I placed my hand against my chest; I could feel my accelerating heart beat.

"You're such an idiot! You scared the shit out of me," I took a swat at the dark, "If I could see you right now, I'd kill you!"

That earned me a chuckle. A chuckle I really didn't want to receive and got very aggravated at. I tried to even my breathing, in hopes to slow my heart beat and calm myself down.

"Relax a little Samantha. Where do you keep the candles, matches and flash lights?" Embry asked, still amused by my scream.

"There should be some in the drawers in here."

"Alright, I'll look."

I nodded, not really expecting him to see it or anything. My eyes were fixated on, what I assumed to be, the front door. I don't know why I was focused on it, but I had the weirdest feeling about it.

"Em-" I cut myself off with a scream.

There was a knock at the front door, and I jumped. '_Stupid black out,'_ I thought, while Embry laughed at me from somewhere else in the kitchen. _'And stupid Embry,'_ I added all the while scowling into nothingness.

Again a knock came to the front door. Involuntarily, I wrapped my arms around myself, and turned around to try and find Embry in this darkness. Though, I really couldn't tell where I was looking. I sighed, giving up on trying to place Embry's figure when I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face.

Turning of the door knob, somewhere behind me, caught my attention and I stopped breathing. The door swung open, creaking only slightly, and I dared not move. No matter who was at the door, I would not let them know where I was. Slowly, and quietly, I let out my breath and took in another one as the sound of footsteps neared where I stood.

'_Oh God, please don't let them find me, please, please, please,'_ I thought, my eyes scanning over the darkness around me.

I could hear breathing, and I could feel their presence behind me. _'Where the hell is Embry?'_ Slowly, I moved my feet so I was facing who ever had come in the house; without making a noise. The door must have been closed, because the room was still as dark as it was before. _'Oh God! I'm going to die!' _

Suddenly, a flashlight was flicked on in front of me; illuminating the face of the intruder. I screamed, again, before the light was shone on me and I closed my eyes tight.

My eyes stayed shut as I awaited the intruder to do something; say something. But, what I was waiting for really never came as I had expected. I was expecting to be grabbed, or roughly thrown to the ground. I was expecting some creepy voice to whisper "hello poppet", or "well, well, well, look at what we have here." I was expecting the worst. What I got was far from it.

The light was removed from me and landed on the floor. Though the laughing didn't seize.

"You should have seen your face!"

I scowled and opened my eyes, taking in the two figures before me. Embry's tall and muscularly lanky body to my right, and Quil's semi-tall and broadly muscular body to my left. Though, Quil's figure was slightly bent, and shaking.

"Ugh," I scoffed, "shut up would you?"

"Aw, come on Samantha. It was funny, laugh a little," Quil defended, coming up to me and placing his flashlight on the table.

"What are you doing here anyways? And at this late hour?"

"I was going over to talk to Jacob, but Billy said he wasn't home yet so I decided to come over here and see how you're holding up in this storm."

"Oh," I shivered, looking out the window as a flash of lightening lit up the sky, followed by a loud roar of thunder; a whimper passed through my lips.

A mischievous smirk pulled up the corners of Quil's lips as he watched my reaction to the storm outside. Before I could even register his from moving even closer to mine, he was whispering in my ear.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," I shuddered. "It appears that someone is scared of thunder storms. Did you know that Embry?"

Embry shook his head and used his flashlight to go through the drawers in the kitchen. I was hoping that he was on the search for candles.

I could feel Quil's hot breath on my neck as he laughed again. The lightning and thunder struck at the same time, creating a very loud crack. I jumped, shrieking, again.

Quil chuckled as Embry lit a pack of twelve mini candles he found. I almost hugged him I was so happy. Very carefully, Embry spread out the candles to provide more light around the main floor of my house. Though, Quil was still giddy over knowing I've a fear of thunder storms.

When Embry finished with the candles, he returned to my side and placed his flashlight along with Quil's. I muttered a thank you towards Embry; who just nodded.

Slowly, Quil moved away from Embry and I and headed towards the nearest candle. That mischievous smirk on his face stayed, if not increased. My eyes grew wide as the sudden realization of what he was going to do hit.

"Quil don't do it," I whispered, stepping closer to Embry.

He laughed again, bringing his thumb and forefinger closer to the flickering flame. Quickly, he closed his thumb and forefinger around the flame, putting it out. He made his way to the next closest candle and did the same. Then he did it again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

The remaining five candles were the furthest from where Embry and I stood. And Quil's mischievous smirk was illuminated from the flames flickering and dancing around him from the tiny candles.

I reached my hand beside me to grab one of the two metal flashlights. Though, instead of my fingers wrapping around the cold barrel, my fingers just hit the wood of the table. Looking towards Quil, he dangled the flashlights in front of his face and dropped them at his feet.

"Okay Quil, I think that's enough. You've succeeded in scaring her, there's no need to push it," Embry stated, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to his body.

With the added body heat, I shivered; though I don't know why because he warmed me up quite well. As the rain proceeded to fall heavily against the roof and windows, I couldn't help but get a bit chilled.

And Quil, being Quil, decided to push it ever further by putting out two more candles that were nearest to him. Again he laughed at my shaking form. But this time, his mischievous smirk turned almost malicious.

He moved to two other candles and blew them out, all the while keeping his eyes on mine. I shuddered, for some reason it didn't seem like Quil was thinking properly.

"Don't – stop!" I basically yelled before his fingers reached the last flame.

His cackle like laugh echoed around the room as he picked up the candle and held it in front of his face; illuminating his smirk before he blew out the candle.

I kept my eyes locked on where Quil was before he blew it out, there was something wrong with him. The window that was beside him provided a little light from the nearly full moon. It wasn't much, but it was enough to show me that Quil hadn't moved from his spot.

I calmed down slightly as my eyes slowly started to pan around the room, trying to identify more and more things in the pitch black living room.

A sudden white flash passed the window nearest to Quil; who twitched a few times before standing up straight and alert. I passed it off as lightening at first, but when no thunder came afterwards I looked back towards the window.

I held my breath and tried to bite back the scream in my throat I knew was working its way up. In the window was a pair of blood red eyes, that seemed to glow, looking me back in the eye.

The scream I tried to hide flew past my lips while I raised my hand to point at the thing in the window. I could feel Embry pull me closer and try to get me to stop struggling. I could hear Quil's footsteps advancing as he tried to console me.

I screamed again as the front door burst open and a figure stood in the doorway; illuminated by the moon light coming from behind it. It was too dark to make out who it was, but the figure was slightly familiar; tall frame and built quite muscularly.

Slowly, it advanced towards Embry, Quil and I. The two boys made no move to do anything; Embry just pulled me closer to the heat provided by his overly large body. I shrieked again as the bright red eyes flashed by the window again, the person who entered the house pressed himself closer to us.


	25. Chapter TwentyFour

I woke up to the sound of snoring around me. Slowly, I opened my eyes and leaned on my elbows to scan my surroundings. Embry slept beside me on the pull out couch in the basement of my house. Quil occupied the loves seat with his legs hanging well over the edge, and Jacob lounged in the relaxable lazy boy recliner.

Last night's happenings came flooding back to me in chronological waves, and I started to wonder why Jacob had even stayed.

―――

My breathing spiked as it pressed even closer to Embry and I. Suddenly, a crack of thunder rumbled through the air after a flash of lightening lit up the night sky. A scream was wrenched from my throat as the lights came back on.

Quil was standing beside Embry, very close to me, facing the front door; which was still open. Embry had a hand on my waist, holding me with my back pressed up against his chest, while his other gripped his cell phone.

In front of the three of us stood a very tall and burley lad. He was clad in a pair of cut off jeans and a white muscle shirt. His feet were wrapped in a simple pair of white running shoes. His hair was cropped fairly short yet was still long enough to run his hands through to tussle it.

When the smell of trees and the wilderness hit my nostrils, I knew that Jacob Black stood before me. With his back to me, and his stance completely ridged, I realized that he was slightly crouched. As my breathing slowed down, I pulled away from Embry slightly.

"What the hell was that?" I managed to squeak.

"What was what?" asked Embry.

"The red eyes."

All three stiffened again.

"Y-you saw that?" Quil whispered, more to himself than to me.

―――

"What time is it?" Embry murmured, running his hand through his short hair. His eyes were barely open but I could tell that they were on my face; studying me.

I shrugged my shoulders before sliding from the mattress of the old pull out couch. My two best friends were keeping a secret from me and I didn't like it at all. Wordlessly I climbed the stairs until I reached the main floor of my house. It was quiet, but I could handle it; it's better than the noise of lies.

After deciding I wasn't the least bit hungry I started up the steps to the second level. From there I trudged to my bedroom, plopping down on my bed when I got close enough. Just as my head hit the fluffiness of my pillow my phone started to ring.

'_When all you've got o keep it strong, move along move along like I know you do-'_

I groaned but picked up the phone regardless, "Hello?"

"_Hey Sam, its Seth," _there was a pause followed by the sound of the phone moving.

"Seth, what are you doing up at 8:45 in the morning?" I mouthed the words, '8:45 am', again to myself in disbelief.

"_Getting ready for a run, but I got up at 6 to go for a run-"_

"6 am, just to run?!"

I could hear multiple voices laugh at my outburst, "Do you have me on speaker phone Seth? Because if you do I swear I'm going to-"

"_Whoa, whoa, calm down Sam, we're watching Russell Peters before we have to leave for school; you're not on speaker."_

"Oh, who's with you?" I found myself nodding as I'd began to reply.

"_Just Jared and Paul…Hey! I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie at my place tonight; just you and me." _

A faint hiss of 'Seth' had been caught by the phone and emitted to me. It almost sounded like Jared. "What'd you have in mind?"

"_What about 'Paranormal Activity'?"_

"Sure, 7 pm okay?"

"_Perfect. Do you need a ride or something?" _

"Nah, I'll walk. See you at 7 Seth."

"_Yea, 7, bye." _

I smiled and laughed to myself at his excited tone. I never was one for scary movies, but after last night's ordeals I think I can survive.

"Samantha?"

"Up here Sam!" I called down, gathering an outfit to wear for later tonight. With it being Friday – me not being allowed out due to injury – a pajama day would suffice.

After a moment or so, the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs caught my attention. "Would you like – what are you doing? You're not going to school today, you know that."

"I know," I murmured, "I'm watching a movie at Seth's after school."

"What's wrong with going in a pair of sweats and an oversized hoodie?"

I just stared at my older brother with a blank expression, hoping that he'd realize the 'duh-I'm-a-girl-I-dress-up-on-dates' message I was allowing to pass behind my eyes. What he said next was almost strained, "Do-do you like him?"

"Who, Seth?"

He gave me a look similar to mine but with a minor difference. It was somewhere between 'duh' and 'are-you-completely-stupid-or-are-you-just-acting-cause-it's-a-pretty-damn-good-act'. My guess; the latter

"I don't know, kind of," I mumbled, fumbling with a pair of dark wash jeans I was trying to fold.

"I can't stop you," Sam muttered, running a hand through his hair after a moment's silence. "I can only try and protect you; you've got to accept my protection."

"Sam," I quirked an eyebrow, "what're you talking about? Of course I'll accept your protection; you're my brother for Christ's sake!"

"I know, I know it's just-"

"Sam?"

My older brother sighed before looking at my once more and walking out of my room. I hadn't bothered to put a name to the voice that had interrupted my brother; quite frankly I didn't care. Quil's an asshole from scaring me last night, Embry's a jerk for keeping secrets from me, and Jacob's a dead son of a bitch if he gets anywhere near me like that again.

I sat on the edge of my bed – jeans still in hand – and stared out my bedroom window; the same window Embry had fallen asleep in front of. My hear involuntarily lurched forward in my chest as I remembered that morning when I had woken up to Jacob Black lying in bed next to me.

Trying to erase that thought from my mind another replaced it, this one no better than the last. The way his eyes lit up and his smile seemed ten times bigger after talking to Bella for all of five minutes; five minutes and he was on cloud nine!

I threw the jeans towards my door – shutting it – as I screamed slightly in frustration. What was wrong with me? Was I not good enough to be in his heart? Was she that much better?

I walked over to my bedroom door and slid down it, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I just had to start falling for him, stupid, stupid me! I could feel a traitors tear sneak out and slide down my cheek before I slammed my head back into the door.

Quick and loud footsteps pounded up the stairs before someone began knocking on my bedroom door; make that more than one someone. Tossing my head forward so it rested against my knees, I threw the jeans from beside me towards my bed.

"Samantha, Sam, what's going on; are you okay?" I froze as the panicked voice of Jacob Black passed through the door and met my ears.

"Go away!" I screamed, careful to hide the fact that I was now softly crying. "I never want to see you again, remember?!"

He had opened his mouth and had gotten a word out before I exploded, "Get the fuck away from me you asshole!"


	26. Chapter TwentyFive

I knew what I'd said was harsh but he deserved it, right? Even though it was ten after seven I still couldn't pull my mind from what I'd screamed. Quil and Embry didn't bother stopping by my house afterschool and Sam only came by briefly. Jacob hadn't bothered to call or text – who could blame him? – though Seth did; twice.

"Is everything okay Sam?" I felt an arm drop onto my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly.

"Yea, I'm just thinking is all."

"DO you want to talk about it?"

I turned my head to look at Seth, he was a fairly attractive boy; they all were. "It's just, I yelled at Jacob this morning. I think I was a bit harsh."

"I'm sure he's fine, Jake's a big boy," I laughed a bit at the irony of his words. "If anyone should be worrying about being harsh it's him for the way he treated you."

Seth's face had inched closer, but for some reason I chose to ignore it. "An-and how would yo-u have handled the situation?"

"I wouldn't have bothered to read the text," another inch. "I would have protected you and helped you in the basketball game heck, I wouldn't have even gotten mad in the first place," yet another inch. "I wouldn't have let you get away."

As he spoke his last words his white hot lips came pressing down, firmly, on mine. The sensation his lips provided was different from anything I'd ever felt before; the heat had surged and started to work its way through the rest of my body.

The arm draped over my shoulders pulled me closer to the warmth of his body before dropping to test on my hips; his other hand cupping my cheek. My hands found their way around his neck and began playing with the wisps of hair on the back of his neck. When things started to hear up, after a few minutes, Seth had switched our positions so I was lying on the couch with him hovering over me.

He was careful not to put an unneeded excess weight on my still healing ribs. His hand, on my hip, had started to roam north; under the hem of my shirt. The heat from the palm of his hand pressed against my stomach. Without breaking the kiss, he unbuttoned his flannel shirt and had slipped it off his back. After a moment or so mine was off as well.

Where ever his skin made contact with mine burned an enjoyable burn. My chest was heaving as the unbroken kiss continued; I needed air but I didn't want to pull away. Something in the back of my head was urging me to pull away, constantly repeating 'Jacob' in a low whisper. Though, something else, told me not to pull away; that part was more prominent.

After God knows how long Seth pulled away, just so our lips parted and the two of us could breathe. He pressed his forehead against mine and smiled; his brown eyes twinkling with delight.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that," he mused, the warmth of his breath a factor in the heat rushing to my cheeks.

"How long?" I muttered, allowing my hands to fall to his broad shoulders.

He kissed my forehead, my eyelid, my nose, and the corner of my lips before pressing his forehead to mine again. "Since the first moment I set my eyes on your petite frame," his voice was filled with love and adoration before his lips were once more on mine.

His hands, after a while, found their way to the button of my jeans. Of course, his were already off leaving him in nothing more than his boxer shorts. I could feel myself start to tense up as he undid the button and had unzipped the zipper. When his hands touched the skin exposed by my undone jeans I felt a jolt go through my body. My hips bucked, my back arched, and my fingernails began to dig into his shoulders.

The part of me that was saying I needed to pull away because of Jacob was currently screaming at me. However the part that couldn't care less smothered it out; how, I'll never figure out but, it worked. All that crossed my mind was how much I liked Seth's hands on my body.

My jeans had been shimmied down to below my butt. I could feel his hard on through the thin fabric of both his boxers and my underwear. Another jolt surged through my body before Seth pulled away to take another breath.

Both of our chests were frantically heaving up and down, trying to draw much needed air into our lungs. By now I was sure he could hear my heart beat speed up significantly. This boy was driving me insane.

His hands slipped down my body towards my jeans, the whole time Seth's eyes bore into mine. He was asking me to tell him when to stop with his eyes; I remained quiet and allowed my arms to travel over his shoulders and down his large biceps. I could feel him tense as they traveled over his sculpted chest and towards his chiseled abs; this boy wasn't a boy, not with the body of a God. As my hands continued to move south, I could feel Seth freeze.

I glanced up at him, through my lashes, to see his eyes still on my face. He was nervous, I could tell; virgin much like me. Still, I was acting on impulse and continued moving my hands down until they met the band to his boxers. He groaned slightly as I began tugging them down, stopping just before his hard on.

His eyes had rolled into the back of his head and his teeth were ground together. "Tease," he managed to breathe out, removing a large hand from my waist to place it over top of my own hand. With that, he proceeded to help me continue to pull his boxers down. When they'd been pulled over his erection, it was just a matter of Seth pulling them down a bit in order to simply kick them off.

He supported his weight on his knees while he straddled my waist. His hands once again moved to my jeans, this time he wasted no time in getting them to my ankles for me to just slip out of. My eyes dared to dark away from his and to his erection; widening at the size before going back to look him in the eyes yet again.

Seth's hands slid up my thigh, back to my hip where he began to fiddle with the waist band. Slipping two fingers underneath it on each side he promptly tugged on it, pulling it down the length of my thighs. As he pulled them down, though, his hand brushed over my crotch, sending an enjoyable shudder through my body.

"Seth," I moaned, arching my back in the process.

He used that as an advantage, sliding his hands around my back to unclasp my bra. Once the clasp was undone, he leaned forward and –with his teeth – began to pull the straps down my arms. He only pulled either strap to my elbow before he used his hands to pull it the rest of the way off.

His eyes dropped to my breasts as mine dropped, once again, to the erection resting on my thigh. As it throbbed my eyes began to roll back and my hands, on his back, clawed and dug into his skin.

"P-put your ha-nds on me Seth," I whispered rather breathlessly, awaiting the sweet burn that occurred every time his skin made contact with mine.

He hesitated, "Are you sure you want this?"

I almost screamed in anticipation, I wouldn't have told him to had I not wanted this. "Yes, Seth, I do."

My voice was barely audible, but he heard it. Within seconds both of his hands had cupped my breasts, giving them a more than gentle squeeze. I moaned slightly and arched my back again, enjoying the feeling of his hands on me.

He dropped his head to my stomach and began kissing a trail from my navel – between my breasts – to my jaw before firmly placing them to my lips. His lips parted and he licked my bottom lip, asking for entrance to my mouth; I gladly agreed and promptly fought against his tongue for dominance. He ended up winning.

The whole time, though, I was distracted by the throbbing that was creating an unfamiliar sensation to pulse through the lower half of my body. My head lolled back, my nails dug further into his back, and my hips bucked.

Seth, who'd moved away from my lips, had his attention, once again, focused on my breasts. His lips were latched onto my right breast, his tongue flicking the nipple; driving me to another moan.

When I'd come over at 7, Seth had informed me that we'd have the house to ourselves tonight. His sister Leah had work until late, his mother Sue had taken the night shift at the hospital, his father Harry had passed away about a year ago, and all his friends were working late.

"Samantha," he moaned, erection throbbing against my inner thigh. "This is what you want, right? You want this too?"

I bit my lip to stop the moan, "Yes, I want this."

Seth nodded his head and placed his large hands on either side of my head; balancing his weight on both his knees and his hands. I could feel his throbbing hard on pull off of my thigh; causing my back to arch in the anticipation of what was to come.

The front door opened and multiple male voices grew louder as they walked into the hallway – leading straight to the living room – from outside. Abruptly, all movement stopped, even Seth, as a voice boomed through the house; an all too familiar voice.

"Seth, what the hell do you think you're doing with my-"


	27. Chapter TwentySix

I was sitting on the Clearwater couch with a blanket wrapped around my naked body. Everything had happened so fast after the boys had come in, I didn't have time to cover myself and grab my clothes. Seth, bless him, had tried to cover me as much as possible when we'd be caught; the blanket I ware had been draped over the back of the couch.

Seth was no longer with me, though. He was outside yelling and fighting with my brother no doubt. I was left alone in the empty house by myself, listening to the shouting and arguing that was coming from just outside these four walls.

The front door flew open and shut with a thud before footsteps were heard approaching the living room. Jared stood in front of me with a sad look on his face; a look meant to make me feel guilty of my actions.

"He loves you, you know," he whispered as he crouched down in front of me, taking my hand in his. "No matter what he does or what he says, he loves you."

Of course it had to have been Jacob who walked into the living room first to witness the scene that was taking place. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to forget the look on his face; like his whole world was crashing in around him and his heart was shattering.

Jacob had lunged for Seth and the two ended up toppling to the floor, hitting the coffee table on the way down. My brother was able to get the two outside – with Paul's help – before any more damage could take place inside. Though, as Sam escorted them out, I wasn't fortunate enough to miss the disappointed stare I was receiving.

"If he loves me," my voice was weak and sounded like I was crying, "He'll respect my wishes and stay away from me, Jared. I don't think I can deal with his bipolar attitude anymore."

"You don't think this is hurting him too?" he murmured before standing to his full height.

His sentence played over in my head a few times like a broken record. Once the meaning finally sunk in, I was furious. How dare he accuse me of not thinking of Jake's feelings when Jacob's been toying with my heart the whole time?! Once second he's flirting with me and the next it's with Bella. He's all happy and loving then when Bella's brought up he's living and cold.

"Don't you dare," I hissed, not realizing that Jared was at the front door already. "Don't you dare pin all of this on me. You know damn well that this one time doesn't even come close to tying his records."

"Telling him you never want to see him again and then going and sleeping with one of his best friends doesn't count as something then?" his voice had dropped a decibel or two, I almost had to strain to hear him. "Bella, she's nothing to him but a mere childish infatuation. You, on the other hand, are something special; his soul mate."

I was left dumbstruck. His soul mate? There's no way, if it were true he'd have treated me better and would have completely forgotten about Bella. Still, there was that little smidge of hope that sparked the part of me that was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

"I have feelings for Seth," I whispered after several minutes silence, not aware that pretty much everyone stood in the Clearwater's living room.

The room was silent, deafeningly silent. I didn't care, I liked the silence; cherished it for the time being. I had time to think. When Jacob had barged in, he'd called me his girlfriend; something I most definitely was not. Seth had done nothing wrong yet everyone blamed him; had I not wanted it I would have stopped it at the kiss!

As I mulled over the kiss – and all the other physical contact between Seth and I – a smile pulled up the corners of my lips. I'd developed feelings for Seth Clearwater, strong feelings. That annoying little 'pro Jacob' voice in the back of my head wasn't going to stop me from going after what I wanted.

"I'm in love with Seth Clearwater," I mused, almost pronouncing it like it was a question at first before repeating it as a statement. "I, Samantha Uley, am in love with Seth Clearwater."

"Don't be daft," Jared supplied, appearing in front of me in seconds. "You're just-"

"I'm what, Jared, infatuated? Just like Jake is with Bella?" I sneered, clutching the sheet tighter to my body.

The front door slammed open and a beat up half naked Seth stumbled inside; Jacob not far behind. He had a bruise fading under his left eye and scratches up both his arms and chest. There was a bit of dried blood on him around the cuts; nothing terribly horrendous.

Standing, and making sure the blanket covered everything it needed, I walked past all the guys; heading in Seth's direction. I could see a smile form across each boys face, each thinking I was going to them, though only one was right. When I got within reach I pulled Seth into a careful hug, resting my head against his chest. Instantly his hands were on my body, one on my lower back and the other in my hair.

"Are you okay?" I asked once I'd pulled my head from his chest so I could look up at him.

He nodded his head before resting his forehead against mine. Someone in the room began to breathe heavily while others began shuffling around. Without warning I stood on my tippy toes and pressed my lips to his, immediately getting a response from Seth.

"Seth!" a commanding voice barked, causing Seth to tense and pull away.

My cool was long blown. I heaved a sigh and spun around, one hand pointing an accusing finger at Sam and the other holding up the blanket. I was glaring at my older brother in pure hatred.

"What happened to 'I can't stop you I can only try and protect you, you've got to accept my protection'?!" I hissed; voice barely above a whisper.

"I can't stop you," his voice was strong as his eyes bore into mine. I smiled in triumph, lowering my hand to my waist. "I can stop them, though," he finished, wiping the smile clean of my face.

"You're such an asshole Sam! I can't fucking-"

"Language young lady!"

"believe you! How can you do this to me after I've told you my feelings about him? You're a sorry excuse for a brother; I wish we'd just stayed in Toronto."

I could feel every pair of eyes on my body as I moved back to the couch to gather my discarded clothing. After making a quick trip to the bathroom, I walked past all the boys to the front door until I felt a hand grip onto my forearm.

"Samantha," Seth croaked, "what are you doing?"

Running a hand through my hair I looked him in the eyes, "What are we Seth?"

The room went silent for a while, Seth's eyes darting over to Sam more than once. His mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water. At this I sighed and pulled my arm from Seth's grip.

"That's what I thought," I whispered, tears threatening to spill. "I'm going home."

"I'll drive you!" both Jacob and Seth supplied in unison.

My hand was on the doorknob and my hair was hiding my eyes, "I meant my real home, in Toronto."

I didn't bother to wait for one of them to make up an excuse for me to stay; I opened the front door and calmly stepped out; shoving my hands in my jean pockets. The wind was blowing enough to pull my hair away from my face and blow the bottom of my flannel shirt back. Being only early September the winds weren't so bad that a jacket was required; maybe just a heavy sweater.

"Wait, Samantha!" I didn't bother to turn around, I was already aware of the boys standing behind me.

"Why?" Jacob mumbled, closer to me than Seth was when he called to me to wait.

"I just can't do this anymore, it's all too much for me to handle," I whispered not bothering to hide the tears falling down my cheeks.

Continuing to walk away, my brother's voice pulled me back, "So you're just going to run away when things get rough?"

For some reason that cut right through me. Maybe it was his harsh tone, or maybe it was the 'you're-just-giving-up' attitude. Whatever it was that broke me, it broke me well enough for my knees to start to give away. In seconds my knees had buckled beneath me and I wound up on the ground.

I could hear the panicked voices of the guys behind me calling my name but that didn't matter. Mustering all the strength I had, I picked myself up from the ground; wobbly at first but I was able to stand straight after a moment.

"What about me?" Seth and Jacob choked out, once again, in perfect unison.

"You'll survive; Jake's got Bella and you'd rather listen to my brother than be with me. I hope you have a good life; the both of you."


	28. Chapter TwentySeven

"Samantha, this is…this is…"

"Dad, I can't stay here, please don't make me," my dad didn't see things entirely from my view; I'd had to leave out details that a father wouldn't be proud of.

"At least go for the rest of the week, I'll call up your uncle in Toronto and see if he has room for you at his house."

"No, I have to get out of here now while I still have a chance. I'll go till Wednesday, fair enough dad?"

Dad sighed before running a hand through his hair. "Fine until Wednesday."

A smile pulled up the corners of my lips as I rushed forward and threw myself into my father's arms. I gave him a tight squeeze before pulling away and bounding up the stairs to my room. When I walked in, my phone began to ring in my picket for the tenth time since I left the Clearwater's.

'_When all you've got to keep it strong move along move along like I know you do, and even when your hope is gone move along move along.'_

The tone replayed itself before stopping; the screen lit up moments later 'One New Voicemail'. I groaned, I had at least six voicemail messages and four texts. But I just threw my phone on my window sill and curled up in the warmth provided by my bed. Hopefully I can sleep through the rest of the weekend.

―――

"Samantha, honey, time to wake up," my father's voice broke through my dreamless sleep. "You've got to get ready for school."

I nodded, pulling back the covers as he went to exit my room; stopping in the doorway. "Oh, and check your phone. It beeped, and rung, all weekend."

I was fortunate enough to sleep through the entire weekend; how healthy that is I'll never know, but I had to face reality sometime. My eyes darted to my bedside table where my alarm clock blinked 7:05 am over and over. I groaned, it was going to be a hell of a long day.

'_When all you've got to keep it strong move along move along like I know you do, and even when your hope is gone move along move alo-'_

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" I groaned, completely disregarding the fact that I've cursed more these past few days than I had previously; I guess it's just the people I'm stuck around. "What do you want?"

Whoever was on the other line remained quiet, my tone had been snippy and full of attitude. Just as I was about to snap my phone shut, after too long of a silence, a female's voice resulted in me putting my phone back to my ear. "Samantha? Emily here, I was just wondering if you'd be coming over for breakfast this morning."

"First off," I could hear boys whispering on the other end of the line, "I don't appreciate being put on speaker after I've ignored all the guys' calls; I know Sam put you up to this. Second, all of you need to stop calling and texting me, I'm not going to reply because I don't want to talk to any of you. And third, just leave me alone!"

I hung up before any of the guys got a chance to talk to me. My phone buzzed, signaling I'd received a text, just minutes after I'd tossed it in a pile of clothes on the floor. I disregarded it, grumbling as I ran a hand through my messy hair.

―――

I walked into my closet after spending fifteen minutes under the steaming hot water stream. After looking through my closet, I decided on wearing a pair of simple black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a black blouse over top. It was a rather simple outfit that I paired with a pair of white leg warmers and black Converse hi-tops.

Messily pulling my hair up in a bun I grabbed my blue American Eagle tote. I slipped my phone inside, along with my wallet, a few note books, a binder, and my pencil case. I padded down the stairs and put my bag on the kitchen table before running back up to my room.

"Dad!" I hollered down the stairs while coating my lashes with mascara. "Will you give me a ride to school today please?"

I heard a faint yes as I ran the eyeliner pencil over my bottom lids. Plucking my lip gloss from my makeup bag, and running it over my lips twice, I grabbed my mirrored aviators from my vanity. After doing a quick once over in the mirror, I smiled and jumped down the stairs two at a time.

"Sweetie, do you want breakfast?" my dad asked from the kitchen table, news paper on the table in front of him.

"No thank you dad, it's times like these where I wish there was a Tim Horton's at every street corner," I joked, earning a smile from my dad in return.

"So are you ready to go? You look rather spiffy, something happening today?"

I looked down at myself before looking up at my dad. Wait, did he just say _spiffy_? "I don't know I just chose to wear this today; nothing's happening today. Let's go dad."

―――

"Bye sweetie, I'll pick you up at ten after three," my dad said out the car door window after I'd shut the door.

I nodded my head, "Thanks dad, bye."

―――

I stood at my locker collecting my math text book before closing the door. When I closed it, however, I jumped back clutching my chest. My shock soon turned to anger, resulting in my walking away in a huff. Leave it to these boys to completely disregard my wishes for them to stay away.

"Samantha, will you just talk to me please?" Jacob Black's hand grabbed mine, stopping me from walking any further. His grip hadn't been as desperate as Seth's on Friday; it was loose enough for me to slip from if I wanted to.

"What's there to talk about, Jake? What's done is done, we've all got to deal with these things," my voice was monotonic, portraying that I didn't feel a single thing towards the Quileute behind me.

He spun me around lightening quick. "What on earth are you going on about? There's plenty to talk about, like – for starters – why you were caught with Seth on Friday butt naked?!"

"Don't yell at me! Who ware you to get mad at me about this?!"

Jacob began shaking – visibly shaking – before Embry came from somewhere and pulled Jacob's hand from mine; the blood being permitted to flow through my fingertips. Within a matter of seconds both Jacob and Embry were nowhere in sight.

I continued on my way down the hallway, headed in the direction of my dreaded math class. And as if my morning hadn't started off bad enough, Shane Baker had to go and make it worse.

"Well if it isn't Samantha Uley, where's your pet; Jacob Black?" Shane Baker was leaning against the lockers and pushed himself off them as I passed. He followed me through the halls, keeping only a slight distance between the two of us; though that could be my doing.

"Go away Shane, I don't want to deal with your bullshit right now."

"Temper temper, I didn't suspect you of all people to have an alternate side like this," he winked in my direction, a devious smirk set on his face. "I like it."

I had to remind myself not to gag. "I mean it Shane, piss off."

Not before long did I find Shane's arm wound around my waist, pulling me closer to his build.

"Baker! I believe she told you to fuck the hell off!" I don't think I've been so relieved – in these last four days – to hear the voice of none other than Jacob Black.

"Black, how nice to see you. I do think that your girlfriend here deserves someone nicer."

Before Jacob could retort I pushed away from Shane and looked Jake in the eye, "I'm not his girlfriend; I'm not even his friend."

Another smirk pulled up the corners of Shane's lips as he went to move closer to me. Of course, as he neared I backed away. My mind completely forgot about Jacob being near as I spun on my heel to get away from all this.

Behind me, I could hear Black and Beck arguing and cursing. I sighed and shook my head. Maybe if I get to math class early enough I could get a seat away from Jacob so I won't have to put up with his BS. Today's going to be a hell of a long day.


	29. Chapter TwentyEight

I threw my arms around my dad's neck, pulling him close in a tight embrace. This might be the last time I see my father in a long time and I wanted this goodbye to last. Never once have I lived without my dad, this is going to be much harder than anticipated.

When my dad told me on Monday night that Uncle Roy had said he'd be happy to take me the two of us went on the web to look into buying tickets. The earliest flight we could find was Wednesday morning at 9:05 am. The time was convenient, by the time any of the boys realized I wasn't at school I'd be in the air.

"Are you sure this is what you want? I mean we can always just go home now – the ticket didn't cost much," my father's voice was laced with a horrendous amount of sadness; it brought more tears to my eyes.

"I love you dad, and I'm going to miss you," my voice cracked halfway through the sentence. "I promise I'll call you daily."

'_Flight 309 to Toronto is now boarding, I repeat flight 309 to Toronto Ontario is now boarding.'_

Dad looked at me after the lady had announced the boarding of my one way flight back home. His eyes glazed over as he leaned down and picked up my carryon bag. As he placed the strap on my shoulder his arms snaked around to my back and pulled me into another hug.

"I never told you this, but I'm proud of you. Ever since your mother died I see more and more of her in you every day. Whether it be appearance, the way you hold yourself, the way you talk, and even the way you draw; you're the spitting image of her. I can't lose her twice; I can't lose you at all. Please be safe, Samantha. I love you," tears were cascading down my father's cheeks and landing on my shoulders.

'_Final boarding call for flight 309 to Toronto, last call for boarding for flight 309 to Toronto.'_

"Bye dad, I love you too."

I waved to my crying father as I walked towards the boarding area, where I handed the lady my ticket and got on the plane. Lucky for me, my seat was parallel from the doors; as well as an aisle seat. After storing my carryon in the over head compartments – after removing a book and my iPod – I took my seat.

Only about an hour at the latest until I'm in Toronto.

―――

'_Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts and return your seats to their proper upright positions. We will be landing momentarily. The time now in Toronto is 10:32 am, I hope you enjoy your flight with us and have a wonderful stay.'_

I pulled my iPod's headphones from my ears after the pilot had said his piece. My book mark had already been inserted, my chair was in the upright position, the tray was up, and my seatbelt was secure. I was ready to land as I slipped my iPod into the pocket of my jeans.

When the plane came to a stop on the runway – and everything was okay for us to go – I was the first one off. I sung my bag over my shoulder and followed the hallway of Pearson International Airport until I came to the area where I've to show my passport – immigration something or other.

Once I'd passed that point, I was rather fast too seeing as I beat all lines, I headed towards baggage. As I stepped closer to the belt, luggage from my flight began to circulate through. I spotted my black and green suitcase immediately.

I wheeled it out and began searching the pickup area for a sign of my Uncle Roy. He wouldn't be that hard to spot, he's fairly tall, lanky, and very childish with a beard…

"Samantha!" well, at least I don't have to look for him anymore.

My eyes fell upon the lanky form of my uncle bounding towards my with his arms opened wide. When I got within reach we both threw our arms around each other in a loving embrace. The scruffiness of his beard tickled the exposed skin it touched, resulting in a giggle from me.

"Ah, Samantha, I haven't seen you in a year how have you been?"

"Alright, moved down to La Push, Washington, experienced boy troubles, and now here I am," I beamed up at him and picked up my discarded carry on.

"Well, we can discuss whose ass I'm kicking while we're on our way home. Come on, we should really get going before we get stuck in traffic."

I nodded my head and followed him to the elevator that led to the parking lot. As his Volkswagen came into view, a small smile etched its way onto my face. Things were starting to feel like they used to, like I was home; sort of.

We were on the road, about ten minutes after we'd gotten to the car. The sun was shining and we both had our windows rolled down, singing poorly to the song blaring through the speakers. As I reached over to change the song – once it was over – Uncle Roy leaned over to open the sun roof. I laughed loudly as 'Paper Planes' by MIA spewed from the speakers.

I was thanking my lucky stars while my uncle was singing horribly off key, to the chorus; he'd forgotten my boy troubles. It's not that I was afraid to speak of it with him; it's just that it's nice to not have the La Push boys on my mind.

"So are you hungry?" he asked as he turned down the music, staring at me a couple times while trying to keep the car going straight.

"Not really, why are you?"

"Sort of, you want to go through the A&W drive thru, pick up a burger and fries?"

"Yea, sure we can do that."

He pulled off of the highway a few exits later and before we knew it, we were in the drive thru. Once we'd ordered we were on our way and back on the highway.

―――

"Well, we're home," my uncle said as he pulled into the driveway of a two story white house with black trim.

I got out of the car and looked around. There was a basketball net at the need of the drive way and bikes tossed lazily on the front lawn. I walked around to the trunk and pulled out both my suitcase and carryon bag.

My uncle walked around and relieved me of my case, leading me into the backyard. "I hope you don't mind, but you'll be sleeping in the basement," he said as he ushered me in first.

"That's fine," I followed him down the stairs, "Are you living with someone?"

I clamped my hand over my mouth and apologized frantically for my slip up. Uncle Roy lived alone when I last saw him, he had a girlfriend but they didn't live together.

He chuckled, "Yea, Stephenie and her boys moved in at the beginning of the year." He started down the stairs, his chuckle echoing a tiny bit.

Nodding my head, I followed him down the steps. "Steph, we're here!"

An average sized woman stepped out of one of the rooms, her hair rather messy with paint spots scattered throughout. Her short blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and covering her petite frame was some of my uncle's old clothes.

"Hi I'm Stephenie, you're uncle's fiancée. It's a pleasure to have you staying with us," she gushed as I was pulled into a tight hug.

"Thank you, I didn't want to be a burden," I admitted as I pulled away, catching a short glimpse of a tattoo on the back of her neck.

"You're not a burden," the woman laughed, watching as my uncle walked into a room with my stuff. "Whatever you need don't be afraid to ask for."

I nodded my head and followed her as she walked into the room she exited. Once in the doorway, my eyes scanned over the room and I completely froze.

Oh…my…God!

"Sam, this is my eldest son Ryan," she indicated to the rather tall brunette with a paint brush in hand. "My other son is outside somewhere playing with his friends."

I nodded my head and stood there like an idiot, looking at the shirtless figures of my new step-cousin and his friends.


	30. Chapter TwentyNine

I've been in Toronto for four days now, and the best part about being back has got to be the sun. I think I'd forgotten just how enjoyable it really was seeing as La Push seems to be lacking in sunlight.

Ryan and I had gotten closer, probably because we live together and go to the same school. Though – this is the great part – because he's a year older than me he makes sure everyone leaves me along; and that I get invited to all the best parties.

"Are either of you hungry?" Aunt – I've subjected to calling her my aunt now – Stephenie asked from the kitchen.

"No, I'm fine," I said, walking through the kitchen and heading down the stairs to my room. "I have to go find work!" I hollered up.

Roughly ten minutes later, I emerged from the basement in a pair of black skinnies, a black blouse, black Chuck Taylors, and my hair and makeup done to business perfection. My black AE tote was slung over my shoulder, carrying several copies of my résumé.

"I've got my phone if you need me, bye," I said as I walked through the kitchen on my way to the front door.

"Be home before 10!" my uncle hollered from the living room.

As I closed the door behind me, I could hear my aunt to be scolding my uncle about how Ryan gets to stay out later than me. The whole argument topic caused me to laugh and shake my head as I made my way to the bus stop. The bar I was applying to wasn't so far from my uncle's house, but it was just easier to take the bus.

Within ten minutes I found myself in front of the rather chipper looking bar; 3 Kings and a Jack. The black sigh – words in red – was what drew people to it as it contrasted with the bone white bricks that were used in construction.

The inside of the bar was completely different. The walls were black, with a rather average lighting, and dim pictures scattering the wall behind the bar. There was a small stage near the back; the bar close to it. Tables and booths were thrown messily around the room.

Few people were in the bar at this hour, all of them were seated along the stools of the bar; sipping back their beer and talking lowly. There was a rather young looking woman and middle aged man standing behind the bar.

I walked over to an area of the bar that wasn't occupied by anybody and fished a résumé out of my tote. The woman had noticed me before I'd called her over, a small smile on her face as she approached. She looked to be about 25, with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair; pulled off her shoulders in a high ponytail.

"Good afternoon, I'm afraid you're too young to get an alcoholic beverage. Is there something I can do for you though?" her voice was soft and sweet, a kind of voice that would usually be heard from a singer.

"I was here to drop off my résumé; I'm looking for a job," I stated as I slid the paper across the shiny surface of the counter top.

She looked down at my résumé before smiling up at me again. By now, the man had walked over to us. He was significantly taller than the woman with messy blonde hair and green eyes. He was fit, not anything like the boys in La Push – Damn it!

"My name is Annabelle and this is my husband Jack. Do you have any previous work experience with waiting tables?" she asked as she handed Jack my résumé.

"Err – not really, I'd had to set and clear the table for a large group of guys before; if that's even relatable."

"You're résumé seems intact," the deep and husky voice of Jack said, placing the folded résumé in his back pocket. His eyes met mine as he uttered the sentence that brought a huge smile to my face, "When can you start?"

"Whenever you'd like."

"I like this girl," Jack chuckled before leaving his wife; who explained to me my hours, uniform and such.

―――

"Guess who got a job?" I sung happily as I entered the house, a huge smile on my face.

My uncle walked out of the living room and pulled me into a big hug, lifting me off the ground. Ryan, Stephenie and Brandon congratulated me on getting a job so soon. But when I explained to my uncle that it was at a bar his mood changed slightly.

"In a bar, but you're only 16!"

"Roy, it's a job. Her age doesn't define what job she can or can't take. It's not like she drinks anyways."

The entire discussion ended then. Uncle Roy walked back into the living room muttering to himself while Stephenie went back to baking. Brandon walked out the front door with a friend in tow and Ryan followed me down the stairs.

I stopped at the bottom, though, when I heard male grunts. "Err – Ryan?"

When he turned to look me in the eyes, he burst out laughing. I – on the other hand – found nothing funny about this. If one of his friends was screwing a girl on my bed I'll kill someone.

"Chill Sam, there's a tiny weight room down here," he nudged me playfully. "Hey you guys want a Gatorade?"

Three distinctive 'yes' grunts came from the door beside my bedroom's. I walked into my room as Ryan headed to the kitchen we had in the basement. I could hear the weights clanking together as the boys continued to lift.

I sat on my bed, tossing my tote on my desk and throwing my shoes next to my door. Quickly shutting it, I changed into a pair of black sleep pants and a black tank top that reveled my midriff.

The boys continued to make a racket in the weight room. So much so that I abandoned my hopes of going to sleep at a reasonable time and walked into the downstairs living room. The big flat screen stared back at me as I flipped through the channels.

Titanic was starting and quickly had me engrossed. Sure, I'd seen the movie plenty of times but it was a classic. I knew all the words, I knew when everything was going to happened and I could act it out if I wished.

'Round halfway through my movie, the boys walked in and plopped down onto seats around me. Without warning, one reached over and grabbed the removed, turning to UFC fighting.

"What the hell?! I was watching that!" I roared, diving across bodies to retrieve the channel changing device.

"It's a stupid chick flick, I'm not watching that," he replied, holding it over his head.

"Then don't watch it. Go back into the other room and lift weights or something."

The boys laughed as I slumped back down on the sofa. "Uncle Roy, they're bothering me!"

"Boys stop bugging her!"

I smiled triumphantly as I got handed the remote control back. The boys stayed and complained – though – every time Jack and Rose shared a romantic moment. Jeeze, they're such boys.

"Would you mind?" I finally asked, tearing my eyes from the screen.

"Oh sorry, am I bothering you?" sarcasm, jerk.

"Yea you are please shut the fuck up."

"Roy!" Ryan hollered, "Samantha swore!"

It was quiet before the sound of feet padding down the stairs caused the guys to snicker. Within moments, my Uncle Roy was standing in front of us.

"If you guys would stop bugging her she wouldn't have to swear."

That left all the boys' jaws on the ground.

"But…"

"Ryan, be polite and treat her with respect."

"Fine."

"Good. There are cookies upstairs if anyone wants one."


	31. Chapter Thirty

_The long awaited point of view from Jacob Black.  
_

It's been a week since she left. Her father still refuses to tell anyone of us where she went. She doesn't reply to any texts or voicemail messages. I've even attempted to get her to reply to an email; to no avail.

"Jake, Seth's at the door," my father's voice broke my train of thought.

I really didn't want to talk to him, not since he got it on with my girl. Though I got up anyways and trudged into the living room. One of the youngest members of the Quileute pack sat on the couch, making it look smaller than it actually was. He looked up at me as I entered.

"I just wanted to talk Jacob," he stated wary that I would reject him completely.

"Talk," I replied bluntly.

Sighing, he started, "Look, I don't know what's going on between the two of us but you can't just phase me out. We're both part of the same pack; we're going to have to talk eventually."

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

Seth ran a hand through his hair before shaking his head and leaving my house. I flopped against the back of the couch and lazily watched the movie on TV.

_Jacob has Bella…_

My heart lurched forward at the thought of her wanting to be turned into of those filthy bloodsuckers that we protect our land from. A grown started to work its way up my throat at the thought. I could feel myself start to shake before I sprung forward and phased after I stepped off my front porch.

I took off running into the never ending forest, trying to clear my head of Bella's decision. My giant paws padded against the ground beneath me, my breath beginning to become more ragged as I pushed myself faster. However, I stopped when I caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

My heart beat sped up as I bolted in the direction I knew she was. A smile formed over my wolfy lips as my tongue lolled out when the scent of her familiar leech was nowhere near.

As I broke through the trees, my eyes were instantly graced with her form. Her brown hair messily cascaded down her back as he body remained motionless on a log. The only movement was the slight rise and fall of her chest; at least she wasn't one of them yet.

Quickly phasing and pulling on a pair of track pants I walked closer to her. "Bella."

Her head snapped around so she could look at me; I'd startled her. Though, after a moment her lips curved up into a smile, matching the intensity of my own. Standing from her seat on the log she made her way over to me and jumped up to give me a hug.

"Jacob! How are you? I haven't seen you in like forever."

I didn't miss the sadness that was attempted to be hid. "I'm fine Bella, what about you; are you okay?"

"I am-"

"Cut the crap Bells, I know you're not fine. Tell me what happened."

She looked up at me with her big brown eyes before tears began to flow and she collapsed into my arms. My smile fell with her tears as I began to caress her hair, all the while cooing that everything would be alright.

"No-no it w-on't!" she hiccupped. "Edward le-ft again!"

My heard began to soar. Surely if that bloodsucker came back again she wouldn't chose him over me. I pulled her closer to me and continued to mumble meaningless crap about how her leech will come back.

―――

"Are you sure your dad won't mind?" Bella asked as we walked up to my front door.

"Positive, he loves you Bells."

After Bella had stopped crying, I'd told her she could stay over at my place tonight so she wouldn't be alone; her father was working the night shift. I showed her to my room and gave her one of my small shirts and a pair of shorts.

Once she'd changed and I'd slipped into a t-shirt and boxers, we both curled up together on the couch to watch a movie. Of which, halfway through, Bella had drifted to sleep. I scooped her into my arms and carried her to my bed.

As I walked out of my room my dad wheeled into the house. He must have noticed my improved mood for an eyebrow quirked up and a small confused smile pulled at his lips.

"Jacob, what's going on?" he asked as he wheeled himself into the living room, flicking to a football game.

"Um, Edward left Bella again. She's upstairs sleeping in my room," I replied as I sat on a chair semi-facing my father's questioning stare.

He opened his mouth to say something – probably about how I didn't imprint on her – when Sam walked in the front door. His short hair was ruffled and his face was set in a determined yet upset stare. My father's eyes immediately darted over to the form of my alpha.

"Sam," my father stated, wheeling himself forward. "Is there something wrong?"

"Have you spoken to Seth today?" Sam's question was directed my way but my dad answered for me.

"He was over early this morning wanting to speak with Jake."

The eyes of my alpha bore into mine, "What did he say, anything about leaving?"

"He talked about how I can't ignore him, because we're in the same pack. Nothing was said about leaving."

Sam ran a hand over his face and through his hair before sighing. My father offered him a drink and a seat at the kitchen table. The two started to talk, briefly, about my findings of Bella alone and Edward and his clan leaving; again.

The front door burst open again, revealing Leah and Jared with solemn expressions on their faces. When Leah's eyes fell on me, however, she glared harder than I've ever witnessed. I flinched from the intensity of it before she tore her gaze away from me and looked up to Sam.

"He's left in search of Samantha, apparently he saw stupid over there comforting the vamp lover and decided to go find your sister," Leah sneered, turning to glare at me once again.

"How do you know?" Sam inquired as he looked in between Jared and Leah.

"We were patrolling and heard Seth's thoughts," Jared supplied as he took a seat at the kitchen table and grabbed an apple.

"Does he have a plan?"

"He's headed to Toronto; he thinks that's where she's likely to be."

The room was quiet as all eyes shifted from Sam to me. "What?" I finally asked after the silence became deafening.

Sam's the one who replied. "She's your imprint, Seth's gone to find her; shouldn't that be your responsibility?"

A quiet yawn from upstairs silenced everything. All heads fell back as everyone stared at the ceiling –following Bella's footsteps – like if they stared hard enough they'd stare through the roof.

The soft footsteps soon reached the stairs, which were eventually descended by the half asleep form of Bella Swan. A growl, low and menacing, erupted low in Leah's chest while all eyes darted to glare at me.

Bella rubbed her eyes before she realized the amount of people in the house. Quietly, and rather quickly, I crossed the floor until I stood behind Bells' my arms wrapping around her waist snugly. Leah growled again as she took a threatening step forward; only to be stopped by Jared's hands on her shoulders.

"You're so despicable Jacob Black. My brother could be dead for all we know while you're cuddling up to the leech lover. She's your fucking imprint that my brother fell head over heels for, it should be you risking running into Canadian vamps to find her!" she hissed, trying to break free from Jared's grip.

I felt Bella stirring in my grip, causing me to loosen it. She turned around and looked at me with those big brown innocent eyes of hers. "You imprinted Jake?" she whispered.

Pulling her close, I looked straight ahead to Sam, "Just because I imprinted doesn't mean I'll love her like I love you Bells."


	32. Chapter ThirtyOne

"Sam, can you get that table over there please?" Annabelle asked as she passed by with a tray full of empty plates and glasses, her hair a bit messy.

I'd started working at the bar three days ago, and in these three days I've come to realized that Annabelle and Jack Smith had a lot on their plate. Every night the bar had been busy, seeing as small local bands brought tons of people along with them. Jack worked the bar while Annabelle and I served both food and drinks to the tables; the odd time introducing the next band.

"Sure Belle," I replied as I tucked my empty tray under my arm and pulled my notepad from the pocket of my small apron.

"Hi, my name is Samantha and I'll be your server. Is there anything I can get you?" I asked a group of four guys that were either late teenage years or early twenties.

I watched as a few of them checked me out – something I've come to deal with – and waited for them to order. "Can we get 4 Molson Canadians, a plate of fries and your number?"

Scribbling down their drinks and fries, I headed towards the bar to give Jack my order. He smiled at me as I walked up to him. That smile, however, turned upside down when Belle got off the phone and announced that the ban wouldn't be able to make it. Rendering us without a band for the next ten minutes, we're going to have some pretty pissed customers.

"Belle, is the next band in the green room?" I inquired as I placed my tray on the bar.

"Yes, but we can't let them play both sets, we haven't the money to pay them with," she replied, tucking a stray piece of hair from her eyes.

"I'll sing and the band can play back up, you can pay them with my paycheck."

Annabelle stared at me with wide eyes after I'd expressed to her that I'd give up my pay for the benefit of the bar. I could tell she was going to protest, but I was already making my way to the back where the band was most likely getting ready.

I knocked on the door of the green room before opening it, and smiling at the guys inside. The four of them smiled back at me as they stood to shake my hand. After a moment or so, I spoke up. "Um, the reason I'm back here is because the band before you guys canceled and I was going to fill in but I'd need you guys to play. If you don't mind."

Almost instantly the boys agreed. I explained to them that I was going to inform the owners and that they were to start setting up their equipment. When I walked out and told Annabelle the good news she beamed at me while I took off my apron to hand to her.

Annabelle walked up on stage with me to explain what was happening. The crowd clapped as the boys walked on and made sure all their technical stuff was ready. When I headed towards the mic wolf whistles and cat calls were directed my way.

"Hey," I looked over the audience and stopped when my eyes fell over a familiar form. "Um, this is a Papa Roach cover, so um enjoy."

The singer had moved to lead guitar, he was the one I had to give the nod to so he would start. "I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

My weakness is that I care too much

And my scars remind me that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel

Drunk and I'm feeling down

And I just wanna be alone

I'm pissed cause you came around

Why don't you just go home

Cause you channel all your pain

And I can't help you fix yourself

You're making me insane

All I can say is."

My eyes fell upon _him_ as I pulled the mic from the stand and stepped down from the small stage. Every pair of eyes followed me as I walked towards the tall burly lad. When I stood a few feet from him I watched as he twitched, wanting to spring forward.

"I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

My weakness is that I care too much

And our scars remind us that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel

I tried to help you once

Against my own advice

I saw you going down

But you never realized

That you're drowning in the water

So I offered you my hand

Compassions in my nature

Tonight is our last stand," I turned on my heel and swayed my hips as I walked to the bar only to be helped onto the counter top by Jack. I smiled at him before crossing my legs and the knee, tossing my hair away from my face.

I could feel my rage towards the boy who'd sought out to find me seeping through my veins as I stared over at him again. His lips were set in a straight line but his eyes betrayed him. Loneliness, longing, all portrayed from his dark brown eyes. "I'm drunk and I'm feeling down

And I just wanna be alone

You shouldn't ever come around

Why don't you just go home?

Cause you're drowning in the water

And I tried to grab your hand  
And I left my heard open

But you didn't understand

But you didn't understand

Go fix yourself

I can't help you fix yourself

But at least I can say I tried

I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life

I can't help you fix yourself

But at least I can say I tried

I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

My weakness is that I care too much

And my scars remind me that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel," I sung most of it to the boy staring back at me.

A few people whistled as I slipped from the bar, no doubt my skirt had risen up slightly. Disregarding it I made my way back up to the stage, smiling and winking at the band that was laughing at me.

"I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

My weakness is that I care too much

And my scars remind me that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel," I looked out at the audience and held the last note before stopping all movement. The entire bar was quiet for two seconds before it erupted in cheering. I smiled before walking off the stage and allowing the rest of the applause to be directed to the band; that gets to play an additional set.

Annabelle was standing at the bar with a big smile on her face, "You were amazing!"

―――

"Bye Belle, Jack. See you on Sunday for my next shift," I said as I handed in my apron at closing.

_He_ had sat at a table near the back the entire night, his eyes following me through the bar. Though Belle had been the one to serve him, I was the one who'd felt rather uneasy.

"You've got a beautiful voice," a voice spooked me as I rounded the corner to get to the bus stop. He'd blended in with the shadows, pressing himself against a wall that the street light failed to reach.

"Don't do that, you scared me!" I muttered rather harshly as I continued on my way to the bus stop.

"You look beautiful Samantha," he said as he disregarded my previous statement entirely.

I looked down at myself before looking up at him again. It was just a skirt and top with a few accessories, nothing special. His hand pulled my chin up. His eyes were sparkling in the little bit of moon light that touched them.

"I love you, Samantha Uley, "Seth whispered like if he'd said it any louder I may have broken. Then, without warning, his lips came down on mine; lightly at first but the passion increased.

My hand had wound itself in his hair while the other gripped his shirt, pulling his hot body closer to mine. We stood in the middle of the side walk trying to pull each other closer; his hand had moved from my chin to my neck as his other had pulled me closer at the hip.

After what seemed like hours – of absolute bliss – the both of us came up panting for air. His eyes still held the glint but there was something else; love. My smile matched the intensity of his own as he pulled me close to him in a tight hug.

I didn't want to pull away, but I wanted a few answers. "How did you find me? I told my dad not to tell any of you where I went," my voice was soft, there was no trace of anger at all.

"To tell you the truth, I figured you'd go back home to Toronto; hence my being here. After that I had nothing planned, but then I caught your sce–figure walking into the bar and followed."

"Why?"

"I-pardon?"

"Why'd you come find me? I told you al not to, I've ignored countless text, voicemail and email messages and I booked my flight at a time you'd all be in school. You were more interested in following what my brother said."

"Samantha, I love you. I came after you because I need you; I just wasn't me without you there."

I allowed his words and tone to wash over me while he pulled me closer and stroked my hair. My bare legs were starting to get cold, but that didn't matter; I liked just standing here with him. His breath tickled the exposed skin of my neck as he leaned down; just slightly.

"If you're unhappy about me coming here," his voice had fallen to the point where he sounded defeated, "Then I can go back to La Push."

I pulled him closer as he tried to pull away, "No, no, no. I need you here with me, I love you. Please don't leave."

Seth chuckled deeply and pulled me to his side, walking with me towards the bus stop; of which we passed and continued on down the street. With each street light we walked under, a small pool of light lit up his face; his manly features portraying childish glee.

"So why work at a bar?" he asked out of the blue.

A smirk overthrew my features. "Oh, you know, meet and hook up with all hot guys that look my way."

"Oh really now, is that so?"

"Quite so I saw one today. Your height, build – he could be your twin."


	33. Chapter ThirtyTwo

My uncle wasn't too pleased when I'd brought Seth home, his arm wrapped snugly around my waist. In fact, I think my uncle despised the boy, he sized him up the second he walked through the door. Seth, however, just beamed at my side, oblivious to the fact that my uncle didn't like him; I think. Stephenie, on the other hand, beamed at the boy and offered him freshly baked cookies, wondering who he was, where he was from, and how he met me.

"Ryan, come here for a minute," my uncle called midway through Stephenie and Seth talking about his life; him scarfing down cookies between answers.

When Ryan came upstairs my uncle called him over. "I want you to make up the pullout couch downstairs and bring your stuff; if he's staying here he's sleeping upstairs."

The conversation between Stephenie and Seth stopped abruptly. She turned around on her heel so her fiancée was staring back at her. "Roy, you will not pull that just because she's a girl!" her tone was final, meaning she didn't want this to escalate into an argument. She never had such luck though.

"She's a girl, he's a boy. They're both teenagers, Steph," he argued. "She's my niece; I can't send her back to Washington pregnant!"

"Ryan's had girls in his room, all you tell him is to keep the door open or use a condom."

"I was a teenage boy once, I know how they think! All that runs through their heads is girls, food and sex! You can't blame me for trying to protect the innocence of my niece!"

"I don't mind sleeping up here in Ryan's room, there's really nothing to argue about," Seth interjected, drawing all attention to his tanned build.

―――

Two hours later, and Seth had the downstairs couch made up into a comfortable bed by Steph; Roy and Ryan assisted. A movie was on the big screen; both Seth and I were curled up watching it while Ryan and my uncle played foosball near the kitchen.

Seth's arm – previously over the back of the couch – slid down until it rested on my shoulder, pulling me closer. My uncle caught the movement and cleared his throat, resulting in Seth's arm resting on the couch once again.

I'd seen the movie previously, about 5 times to be exact. I couldn't speak the whole dialogue from start to finish, but I was aware of when each scene started and when it ended. What made the story even more heart wrenching than it already was, was that it actually happened – everything about the plot was true. Marley and Me, I cried every time I watched it; a dog dying in a movie is one thing but in real life is another.

As it neared the end, I could feel the tears starting to prickle behind my eyes. Seth's arm dropped to my shoulder again, pulling me close so my head could rest on his broad chest. I could hear my uncle clearing his throat, but I bunched part of his shit in my hand as I pulled myself closer. My tears trickled down my cheeks but no sobs bubbled up from my throat. A few drops dampened his shirt, but he seemed to disregard that as he pushed my hair from my face.

"It's only a movie Hun," Seth leaned down to whisper, his breath tickling my ear.

"N-no it's not," I hiccupped, digging my face into his shirt which would have earned me a chuckle in any other circumstance. "John Grogan wrote the book about his lab, and Twentieth Century Fox turned it into the movie starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. It's all real, you didn't know that?"

Seth looked down at me with a bemused look on his face, "Err-I think I'd briefly heard it in the trailer, but I haven't read the book; as I'm lead to believe you have."

I elbowed him in the side, muttering a 'shut up' as I playfully glared at him. "Just because I tend to know things, doesn't mean that I read it in a book." Seth shot me a look which said 'cut-the-bullshit-I-know-you-read-it-in-a-book-you're-an-artistic-nerd'. Sighing, I released my hold on him, "Fine, I read it in a book. Bite me."

The look in his eyes clearly showed that he wouldn't mind biting me, earning a squeal from me as I slid away from him. He pulled me closer and –since the movie was over – put on another. This one far more childish; Up.

Ellie was showing Carl her adventure book in his bedroom under the tent. The page was opened to where a clipping from a library book lay. "…to South America, it's like America…but south!"

I giggled before receiving a strange look from my uncle, Ryan and Seth. They didn't seem to find it as funny as I did, but that's probably because they're boys; it's not funny unless something blows up or there's a car chase. Men, you can't live with 'em yet you can't live without 'em.

---

Waking up the next morning, a strange warmth was brushing over my cheek. My eyes gradually fluttered open only to see Seth leaning over me, stroking my cheek absentmindedly. As I stirred, his eyes darted down to me and a smile flitted its way over his lips.

"Good morning beautiful," Seth's voice was a low murmur; I'd almost not heard it. His hand pushed up past my forehead to tangle in my messy bed head.

"What time is it?" Seth laughed but supplied my answer none the less; 7:25 am. My voice was still groggy from sleep while my eyes threatened to close. "Why are you up so early anyways?"

Seth nudged me to move over so he could lie in the tine single alongside me. Once that was done he went back to playing with my hair, pulling me close so my body was held tight against his. It didn't matter if he was in the forest or not – I suppose – for him to still smell like it.

"Don't you want to go home?" he whispered, then added, "You're real home, in La Push," when he saw that I was going to argue.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Yea I do, but there everything's just so…complicated."

Something passed behind his eyes before he masked it and grinned a happy go lucky grin that Seth is famous for. His arms wound around my waist, pulling me close enough for our noses to touch. He lightly pecked my lips, allowing the warmth of his hand to ebb through and heat my cheeks.

"I love you, come home with me; please," his voice was so low, seemingly like he didn't want anyone else hearing our secret.

"Seth, I-" I didn't have any sort of excuse, I didn't want one. Yet, I was stalling, trying to find a reason why I shouldn't go with him back to La Push. "I-" Seth's hopeful expression had dropped completely, his hands stopped running through my hair.

"Samantha, Seth, breakfast," Stephenie called from the stairs, giving us the privacy that my uncle wouldn't.

"We're coming," Seth answered, running his hand over his face before standing and leaving my room.

I sighed, pushing back the covers and stretched; a few joints popping in the process. Slipping my feet into my slippers I left my room and ascended the stairs. Ryan and Brandon were in the living room watching cartoons on the big screen. Stephenie and my uncle Roy were in the kitchen washing the used breakfast dished from my step cousins.

The bathroom door, a little down the hall from the basement steps, opened and a figure stepped around me. Seth continued down the hall and turned into the kitchen. When the chair legs squealed against the hardwood floor the clatter of dishes stopped.

"Are you alright?" my aunt to be questioned before another chair's legs scraped against the floor.

Seth sighed, a long and exasperated sigh. "I came here to find Samantha, hopefully to bring her back home to La Push with me," again he sighed. I imagined him running his hand through his short cropped hair, "She never gave me an answer if she wanted to come with me or not."

"Go without her," my uncle was quick to snap, putting whatever he was washing down rather harshly. "If she doesn't want to go back with you then it means that you don't matter to her."

A sob caught in my throat, my feet frozen to the floor where I stood. My uncle was feeding the man I'm in love with lies. Stephenie hurriedly began telling Seth that what my uncle was saying wasn't true, but Seth's chair was already squeaking against the hardwood. The front door opened and slammed shut, the noise uprooting me from my spot. Seth was leaving me.


	34. Chapter ThirtyThree

The cab was quiet. No radio, no idle chat from the driver, and no mindless static from his communication radio. Just me in the back seat left to mull over this morning's happenings.

My uncle falsely told Seth I didn't want to go home with him because he didn't matter to me. Seth left, not telling anybody anything. I yelled at my uncle, throwing in some profanities here and there. I packed up all my stuff and dressed in the first outfit my hand touched; yesterdays work clothes. I called a cab, called the airport, and called the bar. I was going home.

"Miss, what entrance does your ticket say?" asked the driver as we approached the airport. After I'd told him – from memory of course – the cab pulled up to the entrance. Pulling $40 from my pocket, I handed it over to him as I exited the yellow cab.

Walking through the airport was different, I felt like something was going to happen.

---

My flight was delayed three hours and forty-five minutes. Three hours and forty-five minutes of me waiting in the same terminal, while parents struggled to keep their young ones from wailing. I was getting a head ache from all the screaming.

Finally, the flight was called to board. I boarded and took my seat in the middle of the plane. Unfortunately, none of the screaming children were quieted, resulting in me paying $3 for airplane headphones. Whatever movies that were playing couldn't be as bad as this.

Few things that can go wrong when flying? Flight could be delayed, never ending and severe turbulence and the plane spiraling out of control before plummeting to the ground. I've already experienced one, so why not add another to the mix, right?

The plane teetered and shook as everyone scrambled to fasten their seatbelts. It seems that babies and young children screamed louder than before. Thank God for the TV not cutting out – shit, spoke too soon.

Lord, please get these kids to shut up before I lose my last ounce of sanity!

---

I can say that I actually got on my hands and knees and kissed the ground when we landed. Worst plane ride ever!

Outside, I was able to hail a cab in about five minutes. I directed the driver to the Clearwater house, completely disregarding that I should go home first. It seems that I couldn't have gotten there fast enough for when we pulled into the driveway I tore from the cab like a bat out of hell. I had to double back to pay the guy and pick up my forgotten luggage.

"Leah!" I screamed, in hopes that she wasn't at work. "Leah get out here!" I was close to running up the porch steps when she burst through the front door, signature glare in place.

"What?" she snarled, standing on the porch with her hands on her hips.

"Seth, have you seen him? Has he been here?"

Leah seemed to completely freeze, for all of two seconds. After those two seconds, she snapped. She lunged forward and stood right in front of me in no time at all, hair whipping in the wind and her snarl deepening. I could feel the anger radiating off her as she took a threatening step forward; fire blazing behind her eyes.

"What?" her voice wad deadly and low. After repeating what I'd said previously, her glare intensified. "You lost my brother?!"

I shrank back, tripping occasionally until I tumbled backwards; over my discarded suitcase. My heart pounded in my ears as she stalked towards me. She knelt down beside me, a growl erupting from deep in her chest. The only thing that seemed to play in my mind was 'oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…'

"No, no I didn't lose him," she didn't seem to be buying my true story much, so I fumbled at my attempts to make coherent sentences. "It's just, my uncle fed him some lies in Toronto and he left. He wasn't at the airport and I don't know where he went-"

"Basically you lost him!"

If there was ever a better time to mutter 'fuck my life' it was now. I should have just shut my mouth and continued to crawl backwards, to escape Leah's wrath. My heartbeat sped up to the point where I thought it would burst out of my chest.

"You ungrateful bitch! My brother falls in love with you, goes across the border to find you, and you allow him to be lied to?!" Leah didn't seem like she was stopping any time soon.

"I wasn't anywhere near-"

"Then how do you know all this?" her voice picked up humor for a second or so before it was gone. "What were you frozen to the ground listening to your uncle bad mouth and like to my brother?" my silence proved to be a well enough answer for her.

"I swear – you're no better than that jackass," she seemed to forget I was there for a second before she growled. "The two of you deserve each other, you both can't figure out who you want and the ones who love you don't end up loving you back."

A rustle in the nearby bushes caught my attention for a second before it jumped back to a furious Leah. 'I'm going to die, she's going to kill me; he's her only brother!'

"Shut the fuck up Leah," a deep voice from behind me growled, drawing both mine and Leah's attention. "That's a load of bullshit and you know it, I'm in love with Samantha and that jackass doesn't deserve to even know her."

Seth emerged from the bushes with smears of mud on his – naked – broad chest. His short hair was pushed up in every direction, the circles under his eyes seeming more prominent than before. He looked like a mess, a – way older than 16 – hot mess.

"Seth I-" I took a step towards him, after righting myself, only to stop in place from Seth's stare. Apparently, I wasn't completely off the hook with his boy. I could feel myself start to shrink away, only for Seth's fingers latching onto my arm.

"No, you're coming with me. We need to talk," ah, the infamous break up line. And with that, Seth pulled me behind him as he made his way inside.

He shut the door to his bedroom and turned to me. Several things passed behind his eyes in a matter of five seconds, I never got a good enough look to figure out what it was. Next thing I knew, I was pinned between Seth and his bedroom wall.

"It was all a lie," it was more a statement than a question. "You let him lie to me, just so I would leave."

"I didn't want you to leave!" my voice croaked, "I…I-"

"Just stop, I love you Sam. I'd do anything for you, even if it meant leaving you; just so you'd be happy."

I realized how close Seth and I were, there was no part of him that wasn't pressed against me. Seth seemed to realize it at the same time I did, he pulled away from me slightly and looked in my eyes. Immense want flashed for a second before it was replaced by love.

In a flash, I was lying on Seth's bed with him hovering over top of me. He was still mad at me, his movements and facial expressions told me that much.

Seth stripped the two of us of all garments, hovering above me as his hands roamed my body. The moment was different from the one we shared on his couch, this one was filled with more emotions; these ones more mad and hateful.

I suspected him to make sure I was okay with it before he did anything. However, I was wrong. Instead he drew his hips back, locked his gaze with mine, and slammed his hips forward into mine. A scream pulled from my throat as my nails dug into his shoulders. And he didn't stop at that, he continued pumping.

After a few minutes, the searing pain turned into immaculate pleasure. My screams turned to moans and my nails raked over his back, causing him to shudder. As I felt myself come closer to orgasm did it dawn on me that Seth didn't have a rubber and I didn't have any birth control pills.

"Seth," I moaned, hands traveling over his shoulders before resting on his chest in a feeble attempt at pushing him away.

He continued on, lust flashing behind his eyes; taking my moan in a positive way. My back arched, my hips bucked, my head became clouded, and I gripped his shoulders again.

We both ended up orgasming at the same time, leaving the two of us a panting, sweaty pile of flesh. As he lay on top of me, his head nestled on my chest; my fingers ran through his messy hair. He nestled his face closer to my hand as it dropped to his jaw. I was content as I slowly drifted off in Seth's embrace.


	35. Chapter ThirtyFour

"Holy shit, Seth you animal!" a male voice broke through my dream. It took me a moment to realize that I was in Seth's room again, spending the night. I've only been back for three days and I've slept with Seth all three nights.

I felt Seth pull me closer and nestle his head between my breasts, before the pillow was pulled from under my head. A muffled 'hey' filled up the silence in the room before the pillow was chucked back.

"Go away Paul," Seth muttered, "I'm busy."

That set the boys in the doorway into fits of cat calls and wolf whistles; mood ruined. I groaned and tapped my foot on Seth's, resulting in him looking up at me as I clutched the bed sheet closer. He didn't have to bother asking what was wrong; my face told him everything he needed to know.

Seth's hand dropped to the floor to retrieve his forgotten boxers before he – somehow – slipped them on while hovering over me; under the covers. He kissed my lips softly before slipping from the covers and walked towards his buddies, shutting the door behind him.

I sighed and flopped over onto my stomach, entwining my body in the sheets in the process. Breathing in, a whiff of Seth's woodsy aroma, I allowed myself to mull over everything. When they reached Jake, something inside me felt different; strange different. I passed over the thought, reminding myself that he was happy with Bella Swan.

The sun had begun shining through the window near Seth's bed, making any extra sleep I would attempt to get out of arms reach. It was on this note that I gathered my clothes and slipped them on quickly.

"I should probably head home," I mused as I walked into the kitchen, running a hand through my hair before picking up my bag from the table. "I'll call you later though."

Leaning into him and rising to my tippy toes, I placed my lips to his for a quick peck; he turned it into something just short of a make out session though. I giggled as I pulled away, winking at him and swaying my hips before leaving the house.

It didn't take me long to get home, fifteen minutes tops. Unaware if my father was at home or not, I fished my key out of my pocket as I approached the driveway. Sliding the key into the lock, I wrenched the door open as our only neighbor's door shut.

"Canada, how've you been?" a voice that could only belong to Embry asked, from near Jacob's place.

"Alright, you?" I responded; my back to him as I took my keys from the door.

"Good, how was your little trip back home?"

I sighed, dropping my bag to the floor, not really wanting to talk about this. Especially here and now. "Fine, I've got a lot of work to catch up on Em, I'll talk to you later 'kay?"

It wasn't a complete lie; I did have quite a bit of work that I had to catch up on. I just really wasn't actually planning on doing it; he didn't need to know that though. He bid me farewell before I closed the door and climbed the stairs to my bedroom.

---

"Samantha, you're home," my father said as he entered the house 'round 6pm. I was in the kitchen, having spent a fare amount of time making homemade pizza; completely from scratch.

"Yea I came home around noon, I had to catch up on all my school work," I replied, pulling the finished pizza from the oven before putting the other one in.

"You didn't have to make so much; it's just you and me."

"And Sam and Emily. No doubt he's heard I'm back and wants to lecture me on my leaving and such."

My father nodded his head as he hung his jacket on the coat rack in the front hall. When he walked into the living room, a knock echoed throughout the hall before he door opened. Sam called out a greeting, one that both my father and I replied to.

Sam and Emily went into the living room, to speak to my dad as I prepared the kitchen table. I cut the pizza, put it in the middle of the table, put the bread sticks on, filled the glasses with water, and removed the second pizza from the oven.

"Do you need any help?" Emily asked, surprising me because I thought she was with my dad and brother.

"Emily," I said startled as I clutched my chest. "No, I've just got to cut this and I'll be done. But, you could take the orange juice and put it on the table for me."

As Emily did so, I cut the pizza into slices and placed it alongside the other. The jug of orange juice soon hit the table.

"Dinner," I called as Emily and I took a seat at the table.

---

"Bye dad, bye Samantha, I really enjoyed dinner," Sam said as he and Emily walked to his pickup truck.

My dad stood in the doorway, waving them off as I retreated to the kitchen. Before they left, Emily had stayed in the kitchen to help me with the clean up, leaving me with more time to talk to my brother.

Being Sunday, I only had a few things to worry about; school the next day and the homework assigned on Friday. Seeing as I'd finished my homework, I had nothing to do before bathing then going to sleep. I headed up to my room and dug my cell out of my bag, instantly dialing Seth's number.

"Hey hun how was your day?" Seth asked as he picked up.

"Pretty good, I did my homework, cooked dinner and had my brother over. It's been a while since we talked like we did."

"Sounds…fun?"

"Oh shut up," I giggled at his tone, flopping down onto my bed. "So what did you do? You know, seeing as my day was so fun."

"Ah, well, you know; it was pretty darn boring. The high light – I'd have to say – was waking up on top of a hot ass chick," I laughed at his excited tone. "But waking up next to you is pretty good too hun."

A knock at the door caught my attention. "Right, as much as I'd love to talk about this 'hot ass chick', I've got to get the door; see you at school."

"Love you too."

"I love you."

By the time I'd ended the call, picked myself up off my bed, and made it out into the hall my father had opened the front door. I watched as Quil's, Embry's and Paul's large frames came into view.

"Hey Mr. Uley, Sam home?" Paul asked, receiving a confused stare from my father.

When it clicked, I could tell dad felt stupid, "Yea she's in her room, Samantha!"

I slid down the banister and smiled up at my three friends. My father left, reminding us all that it was a school night, and told us he was going to Billy's to watch a football game.

"What's up guys?" I asked after ushering them all into the house.

"Your sex life," Paul snickered, waggling his eyebrows at me; before I chucked an apple at his head. "Thanks for the snack."

"Really, what do you guys want?"

I watched as both Quil and Embry shared a look before turning to stare at me. They weren't very discrete at whatever they were trying to hide. I sighed and walked into the living room, pulling my ps2 from under the TV.

"What are you doing?" questioned Quil from somewhere in the living room – or hallway.

"Rock Band."

"Why?"

"Helps me think."

"How – forget it, can we play?"

"Only if you're ready to get schooled."


	36. Chapter ThirtyFive

Jacob wasn't in math the next morning. Quil and Embry weren't in drama second period. Jared and Quil didn't attend third period geography. Music was odd without Seth and Paul.

I walked the halls – alone – as I headed to the cafeteria. Receiving less stares than usual, I got my lunch and sat at my usually table; usually overflowing with the boys. Kim joined me shortly and smiled my way.

"How are you Samantha?" she asked, taking a French fry from her plate and eating it.

"I'm fine, you?"

"Alright, just had a killer gym test last period; it was brutal!"

I laughed at her exaggeration before taking a bite of my slice of pizza. "Hey," I said after I swallowed, "where are the boys? None of them were in any class today."

Kim fidgeted with the straw wrapper of her juice box, keeping her eyes on the table. "Err, they're busy. I think Billy needed a few things repaired, as did Sue."

I nodded, not completely buying what she'd supplied me but accepting it none the less. The two of us continued to eat, making idle chat here and there, before the two of us got up to head to our lockers.

It was weird not being shadowed by at least one of the boys all day, or feel the head from their contact. Regardless, I headed to my English class with little to nothing on my mind.

"Hey, watch it!" apparently my 'little to nothing on my mind' isn't a smart move; I walked into an opened classroom door.

I ended up on my butt, my face burning bright red from embarrassment.

"I told you to watch it," snarled a senior – one from the prestigious football team.

As he pressed on, not bothering to see if I was okay, a pair of hands gripped my upper arms and pulled me up. I turned around, to thank who'd been kind enough to help, only to see that it was Charlie; Shane standing back a bit with a smirk on his face.

"Are you okay?" questioned Charlie after I was standing on my own.

"Fine," I spat, wrenching my arm away from his grip.

"I meant your ribs from the basketball game."

"They're fine. Now, if you'll excuse me I've got to get to class."

Not bothering with goodbyes, I left the two brothers standing in the hall while I headed to English. I could hear them start walking, but neither of them joined me.

---

No Embry or Jake in English. French class was without Seth, Jared and Paul; though Shane proceeded to irk me more than once. Seventh period study hall/art passed without Quil, Embry and Jake, I sat and sketched the entire time. None of them were in gym, Charlie steered clear and the girls just asked if I was alright.

As the final bell rang, I headed towards my locker and walked out of the school. An old, beat up red Chevy pickup sat in the lot; where Jake would usually park his Rabbit.

The driver of the pickup stepped out of the driver's side and leaned against the hood. Her long brown auburnish hair meant that she could be none other than Isabella Swan. A small pang of jealousy rose in my chest, only to be pushed down as a figure emerged shirtless from the woods.

Jacob Black looked in my direction before his eyes caught sight of Bella. He headed straight for her, forgetting anything he was going to tell me, and picked her up before twirling her around. Her giggle echoed through the parking lot.

I gagged as I continued through the parking lot, heading to the street. I didn't live too far away from the school; it was usually just more convenient to receive motorized transportation. Though, with dad at work, Seth without a car, and Jake so wound up in Bella Swan I was stuck walking to and from school.

I'd been walking for a while when two hot hands grabbed me by my waist and hoisted me into the air. A small squeal wrenched itself from my throat as I was spun around before falling backwards into their rock hard chest. A familiar laugh caressed my ear before his lips pressed against my neck.

"Guess who?" the person laughed, his hands touching the bare skin of my stomach.

My hands instantly covered his and tried to pry them from my skin. "Seth," I giggled, "let me go!"

Seth's hands moved from my skin to rest on my jean clad hip. He pulled me closer to him as we continued walking down the street.

"So how come you guys weren't at school today?" I finally asked as we had walked along in silence for a while.

"I had to help my mom around the house, Billy Black needed help too so we alternated people in between the two jobs," replied Seth, turning us so we continued on walking instead of heading down my street.

"Seth, what are you…?"

"I'm hungry, figured we could grab a bite from McDonald's or something."

---

The boys didn't show up the next day, the day after, the next day, and the day after that. Though, each day, I would see both Jacob and Seth afterschool; Jake first – who would meet Bella in the parking lot – and then Seth.

I'd get escorted home by my boyfriend; after going to a fast food joint. He'd spend a few hours with me before a wolf would howl and he'd become very tense and jumpy. I'd told him that if he was afraid of them, because they seemed to appear more near my house, that we could just go to his place.

He turned the offer down, but left movements after the wolf howled. It was a never ending cycle, and as I watched Seth run out my front door on a rather chilly October Friday night. I tried to think of a way to give back to him. After all, he's given so much to me.

That night, when I crashed, my thoughts played over various ways I could make Seth happy. The one I liked the most would take the longest to work on; it would also cost the most amount of money.

When I woke up on Saturday morning, it was far from a peaceful awakening. My father apparently gave Sam a house key when he was over last time. With Sam having a key, he ended up letting the boys into the house at 7 am for my wakeup call.

My wakeup call consisted of an air horn, five overly large teenage boys, and a scary mask. I don't think I need to go into depths on what they did for any of you to figure it out.

"Come on Samantha, get up, we've got shit to do today," Quil muttered, puling the entwined blanket from my body; lying on the floor.

My heartbeat had exhilarated and my breathing was labored. Even with the blanket removed from my body, I was still a mixed up pile of bones. I found myself hitting my head against the hardwood floor, questioning why I had to be subjected to such torture.

"Then go," I said, my words muffled by the floor and the thumps from hitting my head. "You don't need me to do whatever this shit is."

A pair of arms wrapped around my waist and hoisted me into the air, throwing me onto their rock solid shoulder. I grunted from the impact but didn't put up a resistance and allowed whoever it was to carry me through the house.

When we entered, what I presumed to be, another room, I could hear the shower running. That was when I started to struggle.

"Put me down!" I muttered, squirming and hitting whoever was carrying me.

"Whatever you say Sam," replied none other than Paul, who then proceeded to drop me into a bath tub filled with ice cold water; the shower pelting me with it as well.

"You're such a dick Paul!"


	37. Chapter ThirtySix

It was the first day of December, two months after my rude – and cold – awakening from the boys. And let me tell you, the rain here isn't as bad as the snow. It being the first day of December, I didn't expect us to get snow; let along this much.

At 7:30 am on Saturday, I was trudging through snowdrifts up to my ankles while the wind whipped flurries in my face. My new employer had to decide that skirts were a part of the uniform. On the plus side, I could reuse the uniform I wore while working in the bar back in Toronto.

By 8 am, I reached the store. Who knew that there was an HMV in Port Angeles, because I didn't. The store manager was a twenty-one year old who'd finished collage earlier this year but couldn't get a job in his studied field. He said that his sister – my age – was supposed to start work in a week, what with her birthday in December.

When 8:15 am rolled around, Ian – the manager – handed me the till and ushered me out to open the store. As I pushed up the grate, two people ducked under it and entered the store. Ian opened the door leading outside of the mall, smiling at the few people who entered.

I smiled as I passed a couple on my way to the cash register. Overall, the job wasn't half bad. Usually the customers were rather nice and somewhat cherry. Ian warned me that things were going to change drastically what with Christmas fast approaching.

An older woman approached me, a small smile on her face. She was looking for a CD for her granddaughter's birthday, specifically a Stereos CD. I looked over at Ian, who nodded and took my place at the register, before walking the lady over to a row of CDs.

When the two of us laid eyes on the Stereos' name overtop the CDs, she turned to me, asking the difference between the two. I explained that - asides from the $5 price difference – the deluxe edition had more remix's of the songs; it was with the $5 extra.

After I rung her up, my usually happy day at work went down the drain. Customers began freaking because we'd run out of certain CDs before noon. Ian and I were freaking out because the two other people supposed to work this shift never showed up.

Eventually, the rush slowed down enough for Ian to call his sister in for backup. The only way he convinced her to come in? Bribe her using his employee discount to buy her a CD and shirt that she wanted.

In the two months that I've been working here, I've learned a few things about his sister; Raphiel. I learned that she had blonde hair and bluish green eyes, attributes she received from her father. She likes motocross – anything to do with motorcycles and dirt bikes really – and boxing. Mainly, she's a straight up tomboy and tends to get into arguments.

Ian and Raphiel's mother died when Raphiel was little, only about 5. Their mother was of Quileute descent whereas their father was American, born down south in Florida. Ian ended up receiving most of his mother's looks, dark hair, skin and eyes; Raphiel got their father's.

"Ah, Raph, Finally!" Ian exclaimed, walking from behind the counter, leaving me to tend to the line.

She shook her head and cracked an extremely small smile, something I'm told is a very rare sight. "Geese Ian, relax would you?"

Ian apologized and opened the door to get to the back, directing her where her shirt was. When he joined me behind the register, he flashed me a smile before ringing through a customer. I shook my head at the boy as I told my customer his final price.

When Raphiel emerged from the back room minutes later, Ian instructed her on how to work the register as he walked off to help customers. The two of us were quiet, ringing through person after person until our lines dwindled down to near nothing.

"Raph," Ian walked up to the registers, running a hand through his hair, "I'm going to take a break. Can you work the cash whilst Sam walks around helping? All you have to do is press one on the phone and call me back if you need help or it gets too busy."

She nodded her head and looked over at me, giving me the same feeble smile she'd given her brother. I closed my cash and walked out from behind the counter, heading towards a male who looked confused.

"Would you like some help sir?" I asked politely, noticing his eyes scanning the row.

"No, I'm just browsing, thank you," he replied, looking up at me before scanning through the artists once more.

As I walked away, something near the entrance, to the mall, captured my attention. A grin captured my lips as I hurriedly made m way over to the three large boys. Seth's smile matched mine as I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck and press a kiss to his lips.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, happily, after I'd detached myself from my boyfriend. His eyes bore into mine, twinkling slightly as his fingers ran through my hair.

Embry laughed from somewhere behind Seth, jabbing his elbow into Paul's ribs, telling him to keep his voice down. Paul snickered and mumbled something unintelligent about a chick with big boobs and a huge as.

"Embry wanted a new CD, Paul wanted to check out the chicks and the mall, and I wanted to see you. So," he pulled me closer to him, "I figured we could kill three birds with one stone."

I laughed and pushed away from Seth, seeing a customer with a look that read she was debating on whether or not to approach me. Smiling as I approached her, I directed her to the artist and watched as she walked to Raphiel with the CD in her hands.

"That was rude," Seth murmured against my neck, his arms wrapping securely around my waist.

I sighed, placing my hands on his; enjoying the warmth emanating from them. "Sorry, I'm working."

Seth mumbled something incoherent against my neck – against my sensitive spot on my neck – causing me to fight back a small moan. He smirked, knowing he had me. Stupid conniving son of a – oh!

"W-what do y-ou want for Christ-mas, love?" I managed to breathe out, trying to control my breathing as to not give into his mind game.

"You," his warm breath hit the hollow at the base of my neck, causing a shudder to rake my spine.

Swallowing, I tried to compose myself. "No r-really, what'd you want?"

He took his time, placing butterfly kisses and lightly biting the spot he knew drove me nuts. Embry and Paul had already swept through the store and were standing at the cash. Raphiel's eyes went wide for a moment or so as her eyes first fell over the immaculate size of the boys.

I could feel Seth's head raise, his lips going up my neck until they reached my jaw. By this point in time, I'd closed my eyes to bask in the sensation of the boy I love's lips on my body.

His chin rested on my shoulder while his lips toyed with the hollow below my ear. I took in a sharp breath while a chuckle rumbled up from deep within his chest. God how I loved this boy's laugh.

His chuckle stopped as fast as it came. I felt his whole body go ridged against my back, his hands slowly beginning to slip from my waist. His breath began to come labored, causing me to turn to look at him. His eyes were fixed on something in Embry and Paul's direction; near the cash register.

My eyes met with Embry's. He had a panicked expression on his face as he looked between Raphiel and Seth. Ian came out of the back room, causing her to break eye contact with my boyfriend.

"Ian, I'm taking a break," she muttered as she walked around the counter and past her brother.

Ian Keith looked at me before asking the boys at the cash if they needed help. Paul walked up to Seth and clipped him on the back, breaking him of his trance.

Seth's eyes widened as he looked down at me before allowing his eyes to dart to the door to the back room. He looked…torn? I stepped closer to him and put my hand on his cheek, causing him to jump slightly.

"Seth," my eyes searched his, hoping to find some sort of an answer. "What's wrong, love?"

His eyes, wide and panicked, looked deep into mine. "I-I, nothing. It's nothing, I've got to go. I'll call you."

With that, Seth bolted from the store, leaving Embry and Paul to stare at me with sad expressions. What just happened?

.com/outfit_seth_finds_her_in/set?id=14273727  
forgot to post that link in the chapter that Seth found Sam in the bar in Toronto. She's wearing the same outfit this chapter, but just envision an "HMV" in white on the chest of the shirt. Kaye, thanks :)


	38. Chapter ThirtySeven

I had arranged to meet with a dealer today – December 15th – to discuss the price and payment on Seth's Christmas gift. When I'd arrived at the lot, my stomach churned. The face I saw before my provoked images I'd hidden deep in my subconscious.

The boy that stood before me was the same one from the car, when the huge wolves appeared. He was the blonde one, the first one that I'd encountered that day. I felt myself shudder as I tried to ignore him and focus on the balding middle aged man next to him. As I approached, I caught clip its of their conversation.

"…why I'm here! It's not like I'm planning on working here in the future!" the boy argued.

"You don't seem to mind when you get to pick a new vehicle after you total the previous," from what I've acquired, I've come to realize that the middle aged man was blondie's dad.

"Yea…but…fuck it. I'll be in your office."

As blondie walked off, I walked up to his father and cleared my throat. The balding man turned to look at me, a smile lifting his spirits as he looked at me. Clearly, he was either looking forward to a sell or he was going to screw me over greatly.

"Well, little lady, what type of vehicle are you looking for?" he asked after I'd told him I was looking for a car to gift to my boyfriend for Christmas.

"A 1969 Chevy Comaro, any colour would do but black or blue is preferred."

He chuckled, "No margin for error I see. Well, it's just your luck; we just got one in; black with a white racing stripe. Only downfall, it's got its original everything and hasn't been fixed yet. You'd have to bring it to a shop, but I can't do that to you."

---

I smiled at the balding man as he hooked up Seth's gift to the back of a tow truck. The driver pulled out of the store, following my directions to get to the only garage in La Push.

He helped me take the car off when we pulled into the garage, leaving me to fend for myself. I walked up to the little desk and lowered my hand onto the bell, cringing at the shrill sound it emitted.

Jacob Black walked out of a room, wiping his hands on a greasy towel before pulling a pencil from behind his ear; his head down the entire time. "Hi, how can I help…Samantha? What are you doing here?"

I moved out of the way, allowing the black beauty behind me to be seen by Jake. "I just bought it; the dealer said it has its original engine and such. It hasn't been fixed yet and I bought it figuring someone here could help, I didn't know you worked here though."

"It's a nice car, I should be able to fix it," Jacob mused, stepping around the car to look at it. "I've worked here since I…since I turned 16."

"I'll play you double, seeing as it's going to be a tough job and all."

Jacob looked at the car before back at me. "I couldn't make you pay me double, it's not right," I opened my mouth to argue but he beat me to it. "If you insist on paying me back – or whatever- then you can help me fix it. Come by afterschool on Friday, I only work weekends."

After a moment or so, I nodded my head agreeing to his terms. He told me that he needed me to steer the car while he pushed it near the back of the garage, so it's not in the way. As I was leaving the garage, on a rather chilly Wednesday in December, I turned to my neighbor; asking why he was in today if he only worked weekends.

He replied that he was fixing his Rabbit back home, but his little home-made garage didn't have the tools he needed, he brought it here knowing the shop had everything.

After that, I bid Jake farewell and left the garage in search of the nearest bus stop. I couldn't find a close one, so I decided to continue walking until I came across one; walking was good for the body anyway, right?

I was walking for about ten minutes before the rumble of an engine approached. From the sound of it, it wasn't a big vehicle, so I could cross 'bus' from the list of possibilities. A Rabbit drove past me, only to have its break lights light up as it stopped about a foot ahead of me.

Jacob's head was sticking out of the driver's side window as I approached. "If I knew you were going to walk the whole way home I'd have told you to stay at the stop for an extra ten minutes until I was leaving," he half joked, half stated.

He rolled down the window and pulled his head in his as I stood beside the passenger side, leaning down so I could see the boy driving. "I thought the bus stop was closer than it was," I admitted, a slight blush tinting my cheeks for God knows what reason.

Jake laughed, "Here," he leaned over and opened the door, "get in, I'll drive you home."

I was going to protest when I remembered that it would be silly, the two of us live side by side. Pulling the door open, I placed my bag on the dashboard before taking a seat and closing the door behind me. Jake waited for me to put on my seat belt before putting the car into drive and taking off.

The car was silent, only the hum of the engine, our breathing, and the occasional purr as another car passed us. I took the time to notice that his car smelt like him, a masculine combination of cologne and the woodsy smell that even Seth possessed.

At the mention of Seth, I was reminded as to why Jacob and I hadn't talked in a while; Bella Swan. A small pang of something hit me as I thought of the way his face lit up every time he saw her. My right hand clenched the door handle so tight that the skin over my knuckles turned bone white.

"Sam?" Jake asked, drawing me from my little…jealous rage? No, I wasn't jealous of her; I was with Seth.

"Hmm?" I replied, mulling over what had just happened with me. How could Bella still piss me off if I'm in love with Seth Clearwater? It didn't make sense, I'm over Jacob Black. I mean, who could be in love with a boy who's so hung up on another girl?

"Are you okay?"

"Yea, why do you ask?"

"Because you look like you could break off the door handle in a few seconds; you've got it in a death grip."

My hand released the handle like it had suddenly burst into flames. "No I'm not, I'm completely fine," I forced a smile for added effect.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see his eyes dart between me and the road, studying my profile intently. I never was a good liar, but for the sake of my sanity I hoped that just this once I could pull it off. After a few minutes, his eyes didn't dart over to me, giving me the assumption that he had bought my lie.

But, why was it a lie? I should be fine; Jacob with Bella doesn't bug me because I've got a loving boyfriend. Yet, argh!

I shut my eyes tight, but by the time I opened them we were already pulling into the driveway of the Black residence. Instantly, my hand shot out to open the door so I didn't have to stay with him and be reminded of everything that happened.

Unfortunately, Jacob was faster than I was. He reached over me and pressed the lock down before gathering my hands in his. He was extremely close to me, having shifted close enough for his warm breath to hit my face.

"Jake, what are you doing?" I asked, my mind having clouded over causing me to forget the reason why I was in a rush to get out of his car in the first place.

I never got a verbal response, no, instead his lips came crashing down on mine. Without even thinking, my hands roamed over his shoulders and knotted in his hair; pulling me closer to me. Jake didn't oblige, but he dropped his hands to my waist and tried pulling me over two arm rests and onto his lap.

Jake ended up forgetting about pulling me to him, only to end up resulting in hovering over me in the passenger seat. His hands were everywhere, before they finally settled on my cheek and my hip. Things were heating up, I was heating up.

As Jacob's hand brushed over my chest, gently tugging the material near a button, someone tapped against the passenger window. I instantly froze, dreading it being Seth on the other side of the door. I pushed Jacob away – my senses choosing now to return – and tried to compose myself as Jacob rolled down the window, still hovering over me.

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard as I heard someone clear their throat. "Jacob, I didn't expect to find you with Samantha, especially practicing this type of behavior."

I am _so __**dead!**_


	39. Chapter ThirtyEight

My father gave me an unreadable look before reaching for the door handle and swinging it open. Jacob looked up at my father, shared a look, and went back to the driver's side before leaving the car.

"I'll see you after school on Friday, just come by my locker if you need a ride to the garage," Jake said before he walked into the house and left me to face my father.

I got out of Jake's car, locked the door, and shut it before I looked at my dad. His face was indifferent, neither happy nor disappointed in my actions with Jacob.

"Seth's inside," I froze as my father uttered those words, "When I heard Jacob's car pull up I left him in the kitchen to see if Jake knew where you were."

"Dad, it wasn't what-" I tried to explain only to be silenced by my father's risen hand.

He gave me a look, another one of his unreadable looks, as he lowered his hand to speak. "I'm not asking for the reason you were doing what you were doing. But I didn't raise you to be like this, I suspect you'll tell Seth what you did."

"I'm sorry dad," I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, "I'll have to face the music sometime."

---

"Hey baby," Seth greeted as I opened the door to my bedroom.

Seth engulfed me in a hug only to hesitate and lower me to the ground. A look crossed his face before it fell. "Were you with Jake?" he asked, looking me dead in the eyes.

"Yea, that's why I wanted to talk to you," I muttered, taking in a deep breath as I watched a panicked expression over throw Seth's features.

The expression on his face had enough power to make me rethink what I was going to say. If I lied and he ever found out, it would make things ten times harder. But if I did tell him the truth, would he leave me? I just kissed – made out with? – one of his best friends. There's absolutely no way that actions like that were forgiven. With on last deep breath, I locked my eyes with his.

"Seth, Jacob and I, well we er kissed," I admitted, shuffling from one foot to another; never once breaking eye contact with the boy in front of me.

His features fell as despair and hurt flashed behind his brown eyes. Slowly, he lowered himself down onto my bed and ran a hand through his hair. Seth suddenly looked older than he was as his elbows rested on his knees.

When he spoke, his voice broke and wavered slightly, "Did _you _kiss _him_?" After I shook my head he sighed and finally broke eye contact, by closing his eyes tight. "Did you like it?"

I scrambled forward and cupped Seth's face in my hands. "No, I didn't Seth. The entire time I was thinking about you; I love you."

It wasn't a complete lie. Jake and I did kiss, he kissed me, and I was thinking of Seth basically the entire time Jake's lips were on mine. But, I did kind of enjoy it; as painful as that is to admit.

Seth had opened his eyes and they began to search my profile. After a few moments of antagonizing silence, Seth's face broke into a huge smile. His large and warm hands cupped my face before his lips crashed down on mine. There was a sense of urgency and something else I couldn't put my finger on.

When he pulled away, there was a smile on his face but it didn't reach his eyes. Something was wrong; something big. Seth would tell me if something was wrong, he wouldn't keep secrets from me after I've admitted to kissing one of his best friends.

"Come on love, let's go grab a bite to eat; I'm starved," Seth said, rather happily, as he grabbed my hand and hauled the two of us up so we were standing.

"When aren't you hungry?" I joked, poking his hard stomach for added effect.

"At least I eat!" Seth exclaimed, "You're just skin and bones.

I stuck my tongue out at him in a playful manor and pealed from the room giggling like a school girl as Seth chased after me. He caught me as I'd tried to cut through the living room. His arms snaked around my waist and threw me over the back of the couch, flinging himself over moments later.

Seth's fingers began raking over my ribs as small squeals wrenched themselves from deep within my stomach. My arms and legs were wailing around aimlessly as I tried to throw the boy from onto of me.

"What's going on?" my dad asked as he walked into the room with a spatula in his hand. The smell of grilled cheese wafted into the living room with my father's presence.

"Nothing Mr. Uley, just teaching Sam here to keep her tongue inside her mouth is all," Seth replied as his eyes met my father's, a small smile on his face.

"Very well, I've made grilled cheese if you're hungry."

Seth, at the mention of food, was off me and in the kitchen. I chuckled and sat up, smoothing out my hair and shirt before following my boyfriend into the kitchen.

---

It was Friday after school and I was at my locker with Embry beside me, pulling out books carefully so the things he crammed inside wouldn't fall out. As he pulled back, he winked at me before shutting his locker door.

"So, Canada, have you got plans for this weekend?" he asked casually as he leaned against his locker.

"Yea, what about you?" I replied as I took the books I needed from the locker and slipped them into my bag.

"I'm planning on hanging out with Jake, Quil, Jared, and Paul. Do your plans have anything to do with Seth?"

I didn't miss the suggestive tone laced in his voice, or the wiggle of his eyebrows. Shaking my head at his childishness, I closed my locker and slung my bag over my shoulder. Ever since Paul walked into Seth's room that one morning, Paul, Quil and Embry have taken it upon themselves to tease me.

"No Emmybear, I'm not," he stopped and turned to look at me with a quirked eyebrow. "If you must know I'm going to hang out with Jake."

Embry grabbed my shoulders and spun me around so I could see his shocked expression. "You're hanging out with Jake? I thought you hated him?"

I wasn't up to explaining everything to the boy; I pulled myself from his grip and threw him a small smile and a feeble wave. "I'll tell you later Em, I've got to meet him at his car or he's going to leave me here."

As I turned on my heel, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Embry's lips pull up into a huge smirk before he bounded off in the direction of Quil and Paul's locker. A small smile managed to pull my lips up as I shook my head at the way these boys acted.

When I stepped out of the school and headed towards the parking lot, Jake's Rabbit sat where it always did. I smiled as I headed towards it, happy that I hadn't missed the boy.

After a few minutes, Jacob's form left the school, Embry, Quil, Paul, and Jared in tow. It looked like the four boys in tow were teasing Jake by the look on his face. And when they all looked at the car and spotted me standing there things didn't get any better.

Jake smiled at me briefly as he approached and unlocked the driver's side door before leaning over to unlock mine. The boys were standing around the car talking loudly about some random hot girl.

As Jacob revved the engine and the boys all moved so they wouldn't get hit, my cell rang. Seth's name flashed on my cell as I saw him walking out of the school with his phone to his ear.

"Drive Jacob, drive!" I whispered as I tried to hide myself from Seth's view as I lifted my phone to my ear.

"Hey love," I said, shushing Jake with my finger.

"Hey. Look, I'm not going to be able to see you tonight. I'm sorry, I love you baby. Bye."


	40. Chapter ThirtyNine

"So he told you that he won't be able to see you tonight then hung up? Pass me the wrench please," Jake muttered from under the car, his hand sticking out palm up to accept the wrench.

"That, I love you and bye," I murmured as I passed him the desired wrench.

Jacob tightened a few bolts before sliding out from beneath the care. "I don't know, maybe he had something on his mind?"

"He would tell me if he did."

I sat on an old seat of a car, either a passenger's or a driver's seat. The two of us were the only ones in the La Push Garage today, not even Jake's boss was in. I hugged my knees to my chest and rested my head a top of them while I watched Jake stand and lean over to look under the hood.

As per usual, Jacob was clad in cut off jeans. But, he had on a white v-neck t-shirt and a white pair of running shoes that were scattered with oil stains. Even his short brown hair had oil running through it, from every time he ran his greasy hand through it.

"Pass me the yellow handled screwdriver please," Jake asked, not once pulling his head from underneath the hood of the Comaro. "Well, maybe he'll tell you later on tonight."

I picked up his screwdriver and headed toward the tall boy. With his back still to me, I passed him his tool and leaned against the side of the car while he worked away.

The small garage was eerily silent, the only noise coming from Jacob's fixing of the car and our faint breathing. It was actually quite peaceful, even the occasional small grunt from Jake. I giggled as he grunted again, only this time sounding like an animal growling softly; mixing with an unattractive grunt.

Jacob hit his head on the hood as he straightened, uttering a small stream of profanities before he walked into my line of view. Another giggle flew from my lips as I caught a good glimpse of him. One eye was squinted as his left hand was firmly pressed against the top of his head. Both his hands appeared to be coated with grease or oil or whatever it is.

A small mysterious smile fixed itself on Jacob's face as he lowered his left arm. "What are you laughing at Samantha?"

"You got a little something right…there," I laughed as I dragged my oil coated finger over Jake's top lip, giving him a very distinguishing mustache.

I didn't make it far before Jacob's greasy hand caught hold of my wrist and pulled me back against the car. When I looked up at him, I realized that his once mysterious smile turned into an evil and devious smirk.

He placed his hands on either side of my body, on the roof of the car, cutting my escape paths short. The small of my back pressed against the car door as I tried to put a little bit of space between Jake and I. I squeaked a few times in the process, but a mysterious glint never left his eyes.

The hood suddenly came down with a large bang – something I assume was all Jacob's doing – causing me to jump. In this case, I jumped closer to Jake and held myself to him, merely for the protection I thought I needed.

Jacob grinned like a Mad Hatter and dropped his greasy hands from the car to rest on my waist. A small chuckle passed through his lips. "Scared much?" he whispered in my ear.

"N-no," I shuddered, feeling a shudder rake up and down my spine as his breath brushed over the skin of my neck. "You just startled me that's all."

"Bullshit," again with his warm breath; damn him!

My hands roamed up his body until they reached his broad and muscular chest, where my hands gripped his shirt while I tried to push him away. Damn bloody boy wouldn't move and inch!

"Jake!" I groaned, trying to push him away but failing miserably again.

He pressed my back against the car once again and brought the two of us closer. "You know you like it," Jake winked as he leaned down to my neck and began placing butterfly kisses along it.

What happened next I blame completely on teenage hormones. My body pulled Jake's closer and pulled his lips away from my neck and crashed them down onto mine. He slipped his hands down from my waist to my thigh, wrapping one around his waist before the other. My back was pressed up against the clod glass, adding to the sensation of Jake's lips on mine.

Before I knew it, Jacob's hands were firmly holding my ass. I groaned as he grinded his hips towards mine, and he took the opportunity to explore my mouth with his tongue. My hands seemed to have minds of their own, one pulling his shirt up and the other roaming the bare flesh of his exposed chest.

Without breaking the kiss, Jake pulled me away from the side of the car and began walking around to the front. Then, very slowly, he lowered me onto the hood of the car. He leaned over me, moving his hands from my ass to the top of my thighs, and lowering me so I was lying on the hood.

Jake broke the kiss to remove his t-shirt before he came back down and attacked my neck with his luscious lips. My hands were going wild, over his abs, past his broad chest, slipping over his shoulders before finally knotting in his hair.

"Hey Jake man, grab your tools and shit. Raphiel's car broke down about a mile or two from here and she's waiting on…our….return," Seth's voice was rushed at first, but as it drew nearer it slowed down greatly.

Jake pulled back and turned to face Seth quickly. I remained on the hood of the car trying to catch my breath. My mind was going into overdrive trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Seth, man, what are you doing here?" Jake asked as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I was busy."

I couldn't see past Jacob, but I suspected realization to wash over Seth's face. "Sorry, I didn't see Bella's truck outside."

"I'm not with Bella," Jake's hand rose to scratch the back of his neck, "She broke up with me last week, Edward came back."

"So then who…?"

"Why are you with Raph?" I asked, poking my head around Jacob just in time to see his face contort in confusion. "You told me you were busy, was she the reason you're busy?"

Seth stared between Jacob and I. No doubt he was seeing the grease stains all over my shirt and pants, and the grease that covered Jake's hands. Things had to have been clicking in Seth's mind; Jake pulling his shirt on, grease stains, messy hair, and being out of breath.

"How long as this been going on?" he finally asked.

"How long have you and Raphiel been going on?" I retorted, feeling a few tears begin to prick behind my eyes.

"I thought you and him kissing was just a onetime thing, but I guess I was wrong. You decide to fuck one of my best friends on the hood of a stranger's car!"

That ignited something within me, blocking out the pain of his words momentarily.

"That car Jake and I were _'fucking' _on," I added air quotes for support, "was your Christmas gift!"

He froze, his eyes scanning over the car that cost me a good chuck of change. Jake stood somewhere behind me, I could feel his stare on my back.

"Go back to Raphiel, tell her to tell her brother that I quit, and don't bother calling me tonight because I won't pick up; we're through," I whispered, afraid my voice would break.

I didn't bother watching him walk away, I was the first to turn my back and start walking further into the depths of the garage. I could care less if Jacob went with Seth to fix his precious girlfriend's car. When I heard a retreating set of footsteps, I allowed myself to collapse on the old passenger/driver's seat. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I tried to curl up into a ball and just disappear.

A pair of warm arms wound around my waist and pulled me into a warm chest. "Shh, it's alright. He's not worth your tears Samantha."

"I loved him," I choked out, "I really loved him Jake. I'm such an idiot!"


	41. Chapter Forty

Jacob Black's Point Of View  
Christmas break started yesterday, one week since Seth and Samantha broke up. For the entire time, at school especially, she clung to me and avoided Seth like the plague. All of the boys had heard it within the first few days through patrol. Sam was furious at first, and spoke of murdering the boy, but cooled down a bit when Seth mentioned that he imprinted.

The worst part of all this? I was dumb enough to choose a mere infatuation over my imprint. My selfishness and stupidity are the reasons why she fell for another wolf, one who hadn't imprinted, and wait for the heartbreak to come.

Last night she left to go to Toronto, with Sam, Emily and her father, for her uncle's wedding. She had an invitation for Seth, but for obvious reasons she wasn't going to invite him.

I was sitting at home with the TV flickering aimlessly in front of me. Something about being home on a Saturday night was nice; I'd never had a Saturday night off before. Of course, even though Sam was miles away he'd still left us a patrol schedule.

My eyes were just beginning to droop when my phone started to blare out an unknown ringtone. One eyebrow shot skyward as I remembered Embry having my phone earlier yesterday. The bastard must have changed it.

"_If you see my girl just tell her I miss her smile, tell her I'm counting the minutes gonna see her in a little while, cause I know when she holds onto me she's the one thing that I could never live without, oh, oh, oh, oh, and tell her I love her."_

I grabbed my phone and saw the caller ID flash her name. Hurriedly, I flipped it open and pressed it to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hey Jake," she breathed, causing a smile to spread across my face. "What are you up to?"

"Just watching TV, you?"

I heard her sigh which caused my smile to drop. "I'm stuck in a dress shop being poked and prodded by sewing needles as they fit my dress."

"_Hey, what are you complaining about Samantha?" _I heard Sam ask her in the background. _"I think I'm suffocating in my tux!"_

"It can't be that bad," I commented, walking into my bedroom to grab a blanket.

I heard her laugh briefly, God how I love her laugh. "I miss you," she murmured, just loud enough for me to catch.

"Pardon?" I had heard her, but I wanted to make sure she was saying it to me and not someone on her end. My heartbeat was exhilarating and I could feel my palms begin to get sweaty.

"I said I miss you," my dad wheeled into the room and saw my huge grin. His eyebrow quirked upwards but a smile fixed itself on his face regardless. "I miss the warmth of your presence, the light of your smile, and your contagious laugh."

"_Come on Samantha, we've got to go!" _I heard Sam call.

"I've got to go Jake, but I'll call you later," my dad shook his head and wheeled into the kitchen. "Oh, and Jake?"

"Yea Samantha?" I could feel my hopes rise.

"Thanks for being such a great friend."

---

The next morning – really early in the morning, I'm talking 2:30 am – I had patrol with Quil and Embry. It didn't take long for my phone call with Samantha, something I couldn't get off my mind, to be heard by both guys. I could see their minds start churning insults and jabs that they could fire off once we phased back.

Our shift ended around 6:45 am. The three of us raced back to my house, where we phased back and headed into my cozy home. Even before the front door closes completely, Embry and Quil were taking shots at me. Worst part? Not only was my dad joining them, but Sue Clearwater even got in a good remark.

Quil leaned over and nudged me in the ribs, "Just be thankful that Paul isn't here or you'd never live it down."

"Jacob wouldn't be able to live what down if I was here?" his voice came from the front room seconds after Sue and my dad excused themselves to go grocery shopping.

Both Paul and Jared, with Kim on his arm, entered my house. And once Embry filled them in on what had happened last night, it once again became a 'let's tease Jake aimlessly' fest.

"I miss the warmth of your presence, the light of your smile and your contagious laugh," Paul mimicked in a high pitched voice. "I love you Jakey poo, I want to be with you forever and ever."

Paul leaned in close to where I sat on the couch in an attempt to lay a kiss on my cheek. When I moved away, he ended up falling into my lap; much to the guys' and Kim's amusement. He wrapped his arms around my neck, batted his eyelashes and murmured 'kiss me'.

"Get off you ass!" I exclaimed as I stood up and threw Paul from my lap.

"But Jakey poo!" Paul whined, causing everyone to clutch their stomachs in laughter.

I was laughing slightly myself. "No, we're over."

"What?" Paul cried, dropping to his knees. "No, don't leave me, I can change! I need you!"

Embry wacked me on the back while Paul cried and begged at my feet. The entire room was booming with laughter as Paul stood up and straightened his shirt; composting himself.

The room quieted down to idle chatter before I got a bright idea. "So, Embry, you changed my ringer for her calls," I stated nonchalantly.

"Yea I did," a wicked grin spread over his face; sucker.

"I didn't know that you listened to that type of music," his grin faltered. "Who was it anyways, _Jesse McCartney_?"

Embry stumbled over his words and his cheeks tinted the slightest shade of pink. By now, Paul had become interested in our conversation and had clearly heard everything. He smirked his famous devious smirk and spoke in a voice loud enough to gain everyone's attention.

"I never knew you listened to _Jesse McCartney_ Em," Paul chortled. "Boy are you manly!"

"Shut the fuck up man!" Embry retorted, shoving Paul.

And since Paul is the hot headed spark plug that he is, he shoved Embry back. Jared – who was worried about Kim's safety – and Quil pushed both Embry and Paul outside, so they could fight without worrying about them hurting anyone or thing.

Paul shoved Embry into a tree, which as a result ended up crashing down to the earth while Embry lay there motionless for a while. When Embry finally got up, he shook the dirt from his hair and popped his shoulder back into place. He wiped the smudge of blood from his lip before locking his eyes on Paul.

"Can't take a hit, Call?" asked Paul, tilting his head to the side in a teasing manor.

Embry ran full force into Paul; much like any football linebacker runs into oncoming players. The two went down with a sickeningly loud crack as they took another tree with them.

"Five bucks says that Embry knocks Paul down a size," Quil chirped in, nudging Jared in the ribs.

"You're on, Paul will get a good shot at Embry," replied Jared, shaking hands with the boy.

"_If you see my girl just tell her I miss her smile, tell her I'm counting the minutes gonna see her in a little while, cause I know when she holds onto me she's the one thing that I could never live without, oh, oh, oh, oh, and tell her I love her."_

Jared and Quil snickered at the ringtone, but I just flipped them the bird and headed back inside to talk to Samantha. "Hello?"

"Jacob."

"Sam? I thought-"

"My phone died and I knew that you'd pick up thinking it was her."

"She's my _imprint_, what'd you expect."

"Yes, well, anyways we'll be home Monday night. Until then, you're in charge. I suspected to be coming home tomorrow but dad insisted we stay an extra day. How is everything over there?"

Another tree plummeted to the ground in the distance. I cringed as I heard snapping jaws and growling, plus Jared and Quil egging them on.

"Everything's great Sam!" I replied, my voice laced with fake enthusiasm.

"Mhm, well you're in charge remember; anything that happens is your responsibility. I'll get Samantha to call you either tomorrow or Monday. Goodbye Jacob."

"Bye Sam."

---

We've been running patrol regularly, with a few tiny fights between pack mates here or there. Even Seth and Leah ran their shifts, though Seth didn't tend to stick around afterwards. Leah, being as bitter as she is towards imprinting, feels for Samantha; something that freaked us all out.

Samantha called about two hours ago – Paul had answered my cell much to my dismay – and told us they were on their way home. Actually, they should be back home in a few minutes.

Quil, Embry, Jared, Paul, Kim, Leah, my father, and I were all sitting in my living room when two vehicles pulled into the Uley driveway. I was antsy to just jump to my feet and meet her outside, but I remained sitting in the recliner.

Sam Uley, Emily Young, and Samantha Uley walked into my home moments later. Sam gave everyone a look while Emily went around the room handing out hugs. Samantha remained close to the door, her eyes scanning the room, with a gift bag in her hand.

Leah was the first to spring forward and wrap Samantha in a bone crushing hug. Everyone looked at her like she'd grown another head before she pulled back and smiled. Bloody smiled!

"I'm sorry my brother's such a dick," she replied in a tone of voice that set all our jaws on the ground; she sounded sincere. "There's something that runs through these boys, and it makes them all assholes."

She laughed briefly before eloping Leah in another hug. The laugh seemed to hide something, but none the less she walked over to hug Kim next. As she reached up to hug Embry, the bag she carried dropped and spilled its contents.

Paul picked up one of the three photo albums while Quil and Jared picked up the other two. I watched as they flipped through a few photos before their eyes widened. Curious, I walked over and peered at the photo Paul was gawking at. I wanted to grab the albums and hide them all away.


	42. Chapter FortyOne

My face flushed as I saw the guys' eyes go wide. Embry let go of my waist to go walk over to see the photo Quil stared at while Kim peered alongside Jared. Jake took the photo album from Paul and sat on the couch, Billy and Leah moving to either side of him to get a look.

I had a feeling they were looking at the other bridesmaids in the photos, all of us were in an eye-catching green halter dress. Even Emily, who was a bridesmaid, looked absolutely gorgeous; but then again when does she not?

As I bent down to pick up the bag, Jacob spoke up. "This is the dress you were complaining about?" he sounded dazed.

"Yea, it was too big in some places and not big enough in others; they guessed my measurements," I admitted, fiddling with the bag in my hands.

Paul added to the awkward situation by proceeding to throw out a comment that could only come from him. "Damn, Uley, mind showing me these areas that required the dress to be let out in places?"

I looked up in time to watch Jacob slap Paul on the back of the head. A small giggle flew past my lips before I walked over to the couch Jake sat on, plopping down beside him.

"I remember you complaining about my collection so I figure you can start your own," I handed him the bag. "La Push here doesn't seem to sell these babies."

Jacob looked at me oddly before looking down at the bag again. I rolled my eyes and took it back. "Fine, I'll give it to you on Christmas in two days then."

Sam chuckled a bit before he looked at the clock, 10:59 pm. He went into big brother mode in a blink of an eye. "You should really be getting home Samantha. It's late and you've had a long day."

---

"_This could be one of those memories we wanna hold on to, cling to, the one we can't forget. Baby this could be our last first kiss, the door to forever. What if this was that moment, that chance worth taking? History in the making." _

I groaned and rolled over, dropping my hand onto the bedside table in search for my phone. In the spot my phone once sat was a plastic package. Flicking on the light, I sat up and saw a new phone in its packaging with a note over top.

**Merry Christmas Samantha. Sorry I had to go to work today but I'll see you at Sam's for dinner.  
Love you,  
Dad**

I pulled the phone from its casing to see that my dad had bought me my favourite ringtone and had kindly set my alarm for 7:30 am. My smile grew none the less because Christmas day's finally upon us. I jumped out of bed and raced into my bathroom to shower.

When I finished, I raced back into my bedroom and threw on a pair of light grey sweat pants, a blue baby doll t-shirt, and a light grey pullover hoodie. I ran a comb through my damp hair and threw it up into a high ponytail. I rushed into the bathroom again, this time to brush my teeth.

Once I was done, I threw on my worn down pair of Vans and pulled on my winter coat. Before heading out I made sure to grab both Jacob's and Billy's gifts.

I tapped the front door of the Black residence and waited a moment or so for the door to open up. Billy was still in what looked to be his pj's while Jake looked like he was getting ready to go out somewhere.

"Oh, is this a bad time?" I asked, drawing Jacob's attention from trying to find shoes.

He smiled before walking over to me and helped me out of my coat. "Now's a great time. Merry Christmas by the way."

"Merry Christmas Jake, Billy," I said as I hugged them and placed their gifts on their laps.

While in Toronto, Sam and Emily helped me pick out gifts for the lot of them. And since Billy was a big football fan, Sam told me that he was an Arizona Cardinals fan. His face lit up as he pulled the lid off and took out the jersey. As he turned the jersey around, his eyes shot out of their sockets when he saw that I had had it personalized.

"Wow Samantha, this is amazing!" Billy exclaimed, "Hold on while I go and get your gift."

When Billy wheeled himself out, I turned to see and smiling Jake. He'd placed his gift on the coffee table and was sitting on the recliner. The two of us were silent as Billy wheeled back in.

"Here, Emily helped me pick it out before she went away to Toronto with you. I hope you like it and it fits, Sam told us your size," Billy Black said as he handed me up a gift wrapped box.

After I pulled the wrapping paper off, a while, just shy of knee length, embellished halter dress stared back at me. My mouth slacked and my eyes bulged, it was simply gorgeous.

"Billy I, I don't know what to say!" I exclaimed as I pulled the dress from its box and held it against my body. "It's beautiful Billy, thank you so much."

I wrapped my arms around his neck in a warm embrace before I pulled away and beamed down at him. From somewhere behind me, Jacob cleared his throat.

"Are you coming over to Sam and Emily's this morning to exchange gifts with the pa…gang?" Jake asked as he looked down at the gift I'd given him.

"Yea sure, just let me change and get the gifts," Jake's hand on my lower back sent chills up my spine.

"There's no need to change, no doubt the guys are just in track pants and a shirt proudly wearing their bed head."

"Alright, well just bring all your gifts out to my car and I'll get the keys and all my stuff."

Jacob nodded his head and headed back to his room to retrieve his gifts as I pulled on my coat and boots. Billy shot me a look as to ask about my newly obtained car, but I was positive Jake had told him and he was just wondering why I didn't sell it.

Why didn't I? It cost me a hell of a lot of money and I'd grown attached to the car. Not to mention it's a classic and an absolute beauty!

---

As Jake and I pulled into Sam and Emily's driveway I revved the engine, clearing the house of its contents. The boys took one look at the car and their jaws dropped. They stood, in awe, with bug eyes and drool dripping down their chins.

"Damn!" Embry exclaimed, snapped out of his trance. "Canada's got good taste when it comes to cars!"

"Can we go for a ride, to your place and back?" Paul asked as he gingerly ran his finger over the passenger side door handle.

"I thought you couldn't wait for them to get here so we could open gifts?" Sam pondered.

"Well that was before Samantha rolled up in a sick ass car."

I walked up to Paul and pushed him away from my baby. "Gifts first, car later."

It was silent before all the boys shared a look, and shouted "shotgun" in unison. Sam gave them all a look before joining me and Jake in taking out all of our gifts.

"I'm going to take shotgun," Sam uttered, putting a stop to the guys' bickering. "Now get in the house and sit down or Jake, Sam, Emily and I will eat breakfast without you."

The boys all shut up and rushed into the house, heading straight for the living room. Sam laughed but followed me and Jake into the house none the less.

"Whatever you do," Jake muttered as he stood behind me in the front hall removing our shoes and coats. "Don't get between Paul and food. OR even gifts that are his for that matter if you want to keep your arms. He's kind of an animal."

Paul winked at me at the same time that Jake sent me a small grin before placing his hand on my lower back to escort me into the living room.


	43. Chapter FortyTwo

We were pretty much done handing out gifts, and the boys were antsy to get breakfast. Everyone was finished handing out gifts except for me.

Emily and Sam bought me white heels, big hoop earrings, a bracelet, and a small white hand bag to match the white dress Emily helped Billy pick out.

Jared and Kim both combined to buy me a new Nikon D60 camera with an extra lens and carrying bag.

Paul picked up a stereo system, with Quil's help; one of the top of the line models with an iPod dock.

Leah went to HMV, a horrible reminder, and bought me a few CDs. A Stereos, Matt Nathanson, Hedley, and The All-American Rejects CD.

Embry had gotten Sam to pick him up a pair of custom chucks for me from the Converse store in Toronto. He'd designed the tongue and heel strip to be red while the body was white with a red running strip. The inside was white with tiny red maple leafs while Canadian words and maple leaves were graffitied on the outside.

Jacob hadn't given me mine yet, he told me that I had to wait longer to get it.

I sat surrounded by boxes and grabbed the nearest one to me. Handing it to Leah, I dug back into my pile before a girlish squeal stopped me in my tracks. The guys froze and stared at Leah in bewilderment. She held up a black strapless prom dress that Sue said she was eying.

"Oh my God, Sammy! How did you know?! It was so much money, I can't let you spend this much on me!" she rambled.

"Just take it," I said, smiling kindly at her as I passed Jake his gift.

He smiled a goofy smile after opening it and pulled them from the box. I nodded, accepting his wordless approval, and pulled Kim's and Jared's gifts simultaneously. I'd picked Kim up a pair of hoops and a CD, while I got Jared and dress shirt and a CD. They smiled their thanks and went back to cuddling.

Quil reached out an accepted his gift bag, opening it to find the phone that I had watched him destroy a week ago completely fixed. His smile lit the room as he turned it over in his hands; examining every part of the cherished device.

I smiled knowingly at him before calling to Embry. When he spun around I threw an oddly shaped wrapped package. His eyes bugged out of his head as he pulled an iHome from the wrapping paper. I laughed at him and motioned for him to open the package.

"You got me an iPod and an iHome?!" he exclaimed, pulling out his new iPod Classic.

Nodding my head I handed Emily a small gift box and Sam a medium sized gift bag. Sam chuckled as he pulled out five shirts and a small note; **I thought you could uses these, I rarely see you wearing one!**

A squeal drew our attention to Emily, why was holding a pure silver bracelet with tiny diamonds encrusted to her wrist. "This is way gorgeous! How much did you spend on this Samantha?" she asked, her eyes glued to the piece of jewelry.

"Emily just shut up and take it," I laughed.

Paul appeared to be bouncing in his seat, eying the few boxes I had left. I giggled as he fidgeted repeatedly. "I think that's it," I murmured, sliding closer to Jake in fear of Paul.

His arm slithered around my waist and pulled me to his side, watching as Paul stopped moving and eyed the last gift I had in the pile. In the blink of an eye Paul had lunged for the box and was ripping the paper off. When he'd finally got it open and had pulled something out, he smirked big.

---

For the last hour Paul has been prancing around the house wearing most of the parts of the gift I gave him. You see, there was a shop just outside of Toronto that's based solely around all things Playboy. From shirts to pants, boxers to bras, key chains, posters, and all things in between. What had I picked up for Polly Pocket, you ask? Well, I got him Playboy boxers, a pair of sweat pants with the bunny lining the side of the leg, a sweater with a bunch of girls in front of the mansion wearing lingerie's, bunny ears and heels, a poster, and a lingerie as a joke.

Unfortunately for my poor eyes, Paul had decided to overlook the boxers and sweats, heading for the boy short lingerie bottoms. Though he'd tried to get the bra on, his broad chest and shoulders prevented it.

"Man, you've got the hips of a chick!" Quil chirped, shielding his eyes away from Paul and his, err, _package_.

"Shut up you ass," Paul snapped, examining his lower half. "How was I supposed to know Sam didn't but this for me?"

Embry gave him a _duh _look as Quil spoke. "Only you wouldn't think it was a joke gift."

I had turned to look at Paul, in time to see his hands grab the band of the bottoms and yank them down. My hands instantly shot up and covered my eyes.

Various voices chimed together in perfect unison to yell his name. His chuckle, however, could still be heard.

"God, put some clothes on!" Jared said, "We already see enough of this!"

The sound of fabric being thrown and pulled up filled a brief silence. Kim muttered something about her going to help Emily in the kitchen while Leah excused herself to go puke her guts out. A warm hand over mine pulled it away from my face, a partly clothed Paul grinned at me; his Playboy boxers hanging loose on his hips.

Sam had gone to see Emily after Leah walked from the bathroom and said she had to head home; they'd be back for dinner. Jacob's hand held mine in my lap, his thumb rubbing over the back slowly.

"I have a funny feeling," Paul began, drawing all out attention. "That these are your size Samantha."

Against my own will, a red tint appeared on my cheeks. "Shut up Paul," I replied rather weakly.

"Aha! They are! Oh, you've got to model them for us, like a Playboy Bunny!"

"Paul!" Sam, Jacob and I yelled.

I could feel Jake squeezing my hand tighter and pull me closer. Sam leaned against the door frame and watched Paul with an indifferent expression. However, with my watching Sam I wasn't watching Paul so when he spoke really close to me I jumped.

"I dare you to put it on," he whispered lowly. And after seeing my undecided face he added, "That is, unless you're too chicken to do it."

After a few seconds of chicken noises, I suck my hand out and grabbed the lingerie from Paul. A few of the guys high fived and laughed along with the asshole we all call Paul, but I could feel two pairs of eyes staring into the back of my skull.

While I stripped myself of my comfy attire I muttered profanities under my breath. I took another look at the dreaded lingerie – which, by the way, I had tried on in the store just to see – and pulled off my undergarments.

I emerged from the bathroom and all talking stopped. That is, until Paul let out a long and low whistle. I silently cursed picking up this damned lingerie as I tugged down the mesh of the top. The boy shorts didn't cover up enough at the butt and showed the underside and part of the cheek. The top consisted of a push up bra with a fishnet type of mesh that attached at the bottom of the bra and was long enough to come within an inch of the band to the boy shorts.

"Damn Uley," Paul mused, circling me with a devious grin and a hand on his chin. "You know, I think I want that back. Stand still and I'll take it off for you."

Jacob stood and growled at the same time the front door burst open. With snowflakes in his hair, Seth Clearwater walked into the living room and looked me straight in the eyes. My heart hammered in my chest. _Shit._


	44. Chapter FortyThree

I woke up on New Year's Eve with an odd feeling in my gut. My alarm had yet to go off and there was another note on my bedside table; my dad was yet again away for work. I groaned as I lifted my head from my pillow.

Something pulled my head back down to the feathery cushion but my eyes couldn't close; my mind wouldn't stop reeling. I ran a hand over my face before a knock at my bedroom door startled me.

"Who is it?" I asked, sleep still evident in my voice.

"It's me," I sighed, slipping the covers off my body. "Sam let me in and I made breakfast, I figured we could talk."

"Do you know something I don't?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure," she murmured, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"What are you playing at Emily?" I asked with a laugh.

She left the doorway with a fleeting laugh, leaving me curious in her wake. Unfortunately I happen to be the cat that curiosity kills time and time again. Swiftly, I bounded down the stairs in my oversized men's t-shirt and sleep pants. My hair – more than likely an unruly mess – flopped over my right eye as I hopped down the last three steps.

The smell of blueberry waffles, pancakes, muffins, bacon, and sausages assaulted my nose as I took a step into my kitchen. A small smile fitted over my face as I saw all the food on the table. Emily, who was pouring two cups of orange juice, smiled warmly at me.

"Would you like tea as well?" she asked as I took a seat at the small kitchen table.

I slipped a small piece of bacon in my mouth. "Yes, thank you, Emily."

Once she'd filed two china cups with the hot liquid, and took her seat at the table, she smiled warmly at me. "So, Samantha, Seth…," her voice trailed off after seeing my face contort in disgust.

"What about that ass?" I enquired displeasure evident in my voice. Picking up my cup of tea, I brought it to my lips and angrily riled off a long stream of vulgarities.

"The look in his eyes; the way he couldn't keep them off of you. I know you don't want to hear it, but I think you should forgive him."

I nearly choked on my tea. "You want me to _what_?!"

"Forgive Seth; he's got good reasons behind it all."

"Oh, 'cause there are god reasons for breaking another's heart?!"

"Samantha, if you knew then you'd understand."

"Well then enlighten me Emily! Tell me so I'll be on the same damned page as everyone else because you all seem to know things that I don't!"

"It's not my place to tell or I would Samantha!"

In any other circumstance I would have been shocked that Emily had risen her voice. "Then why bring it up if you can't talk about it?"

Something white passed by the kitchen window, drawing my attention for a second or so. Emily sighed and put down her tea cup, folding her hands on the table. "You have to understand, I've said too much already but if I could tell you more I would."

As I opened my mouth to talk to my brother's fiancée, something happened. Whatever had zoomed past the window passed again and the next thing I knew the wind was passing over my entire body at a rapid pace.

When I looked around me I realized I was being carried. That's when the cold of his – yes his, I could feel his rock hard chest and arms – body. I turned my head and bit back a scream, his eyes were blood red!

A smirk fixed over his pasty white complexion and a mysterious glint in his eyes caused a shiver to rake up and down my spine. He chuckled lowly but continued running.

After a while, the weird pale guy stopped running and lowered me to the ground. I staggered for a while, before being held and all, before I turned to look at the guy with bright, blood red eyes. His arms were folded over his chest – one broad enough to rival Sam's and Jake's – as he leaned against a thick tree trunk. His eyes skimmed over my body and his smirk pulled up his lips. He was kind of gorgeous…

"Who are-" I began.

"You know, those mutts of yours made it pretty damn hard getting near you. I thought maybe I could get you away during the black out, but two more of them showed up," he stated, his voice like a soft and soothing melody.

"Wait, what are you talking about? I don't have a dog."

"The mutts didn't bother telling you any of this?" he laughed, lowering his hands to his pickets. "Oh that is rich. Maybe I was wrong; maybe you're not that important to them after all."

I stared at him in bewilderment and took a step back. Unfortunately, I had taken a step closer to a tree; the rough bark prevented me from backing up any further. The guy, upon seeing the panic flash across my face, stepped closer to me and placed his hand on my waist. He gripped the fabric of my sleep wear before his other hand rested at the base of my neck.

The chill of his touch jolted my body towards the tree and my breath was momentarily knocked from my lungs. He closed the space between us and leaned his lips in close to my ear. "Do you want to know what they're keeping from you?" he breathed. "It's beyond anything your featherheaded mind could create."

His lips trailed over my jaw and down my neck as I sucked in a breath. He chuckled slightly and smirked against my skin.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said from behind a nearby tree. I caught a glimpse of him; he was just as big and broad as the guy in front of me. He had short dark hair, huge muscles, pale white skin, topaz eyes, and pale pink lips.

The guy before me hissed against my skin before he turned to the equally large guy behind him. "Get lost Cullen, this one's mine and you aren't taking her away."

Cullen snickered, leaning casually against a tree. "It's not like she can be your mate, Nathan, she's already the imprint of one of those mutts you mentioned earlier."

"I wasn't intending on making her my mate, my supper if anything but not my mate. She reeks like wet dog."

A howl pierced the air around us and Nathan hissed again. Cullen smirked lazily at me before standing straight and appearing beside me in mere seconds.

"How'd you…?" I asked, in complete shock.

He raised a finger to his lips, motioning for me to remain silent and I obliged. Another howl, this one closer, ripped through the forest. Nathan seemed to panic just slightly as he pulled me closer to him. Cullen inched closer to me, keeping his eyes on the forest in front of us the whole time.

After a few seconds of antagonizing silence, a figure emerged from the trees. Only, it wasn't anything that I would have been pleased to see. A humongous sandy coloured wolf – it's too bloody big to be a wolf but it looks like one – stood before us with a death glare in its eyes.

Cullen's hand wrapped around my forearm and tugged me closer to his frame. This notion caught the beast's eye, but it didn't seem to bother it as much as Nathan's grip on me. Slowly, he turned his head so he could keep an eye on the huge wolf and me.

In a stage whisper, Nathan said, "It's been fun playing with you hun, but it looks like we'll have to reschedule for another time; your mutt showed up."

Before he released me, his head turned lightening quick and my lips were captured by his stone cold ones. Cullen pulled me to his rock hard chest at the same time that the wolf lunged for Nathan.

Growls and hisses filled the air around me as I fought to keep air in my lungs. Cullen's voice urging me to stay awake was the last thing I heard before my consciousness failed.


	45. Chapter FortyFour

I woke up to a headache, arguing and something really hot draped across my legs. My headache pounded harder as the yelling grew louder. The warmth on my legs moved, almost rubbing like.

"Would you people kindly shut the fuck up?" I asked rather groggily, though I'm sure it came out like, "Wood yo people kinly shot tha fak op?"

A female giggled while a deep, rough male voice sighed. It took a while, but I finally managed to pull my eyelids apart. I was in Sam and Emily's living room, lying on the couch with Jacob Black comfortably passed out under my legs; at lease he was passed out a while ago.

"Thank God," I heard Sam mutter, his voice taking on an edge to it that made him sound older than he really was.

"I have a few questions," I voiced after the room seemed to take on a deafening silence. I watched as most of them, if not all, fidgeted and fiddled on the spot; apparently, they were expecting yet dreading this.

"Emily brought to my attention that there's something I don't know. Something about why Seth dropped me like last season's wardrobe," a few chucked feebly at my comparison but the air around us remained tense. "I'd also like to know why the hell he could move so fast, why he was so damn cold and why his eyes were blood red."

All eyes zipped from Sam to Jacob; everyone was crammed into the tiny living room except for Billy, Sue, Seth, and my dad. When neither boy spoke I took it upon myself to voice the other questions that were formulating in my head.

"Tell me, why did he say I had mutts and smell like wet dog? I haven't owned a dog in my life! Explain the huge flipping wolf and why Cullen mentioned that Nathan couldn't make me his mate because I was an imprint – whatever that is – to one of those mutts. Oh, and while we're on the topic, why Nathan mentioned something about making me his supper?!"

I was breathing heavily; all eyes were on my form. The quiet washed over us again, my breathing making the only barely audible sound. Jacob's hand hovered over my legs before he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Go change and meet up with Jacob," Sam said, breaking the silence.

I gaped at him in astonishment, "Why?"

"Because you stink like bleach and sickeningly sweet candy, that's why."

Grumbling something unintelligent under my breath, I stood from the couch. I was a bit wobbly at first but after Jake steadied me I was fine. The two of us walked silently to Jacob's car and then drove to my house. Jacob parked the car in his driveway and followed me into the house.

"You don't have to babysit me, I'm capable of taking care of myself you know," I said rather hotly as I ascended the stairs.

"Right," he chuckled before throwing himself upon my bed. "And that's why you were recently kidnapped."

"I wasn't kidnapped!"

"Right, so what do you call it when someone takes you to another place against your will?"

"I-err, I wasn't kidnapped!"

"Sure, sure. Go take a shower before you change, I doubt the smell will seize if you just change."

"Right, cause saying that does wonders to my self esteem. Thanks _mom_."

Jacob snorted and made himself comfortable as I walked into the bathroom and locked the door before stripping myself of my 'smelly' clothes. I turned on the water and let it cascade over my body and relax my muscles. After what felt like hours, I stepped from the shower only to stare in horror at the floor; I'd forgot clothes.

I glared at the clothes that supposedly stunk of beach and sweets before grabbing a fluffy black towel from the rack. When I wrapped it around my body it just passed my ass; good God kill me now!

Mustering up my courage, I slipped out of the bathroom and slinked towards my room praying Jake had left. As I peered into the room I noticed that Jake wasn't on the bed. A grin spread over my face as I raced towards my drawers, bending down to one near the bottom to obtain a pair of jeans.

"I like your outfit," a voice uttered, scaring me. "Could you wear it more often? I could definitely get used to the view."

A gasp flew past my lips. "You're such a perv, Jacob!" I clutched the towel closer to my bodice and tried to pull it down to cover more than it did.

"Aw, come on you know I'm only goofing around."

I bit my lip out of nervous habit. His eyes scanned over my face and his smile dropped. "Not that you're not attractive or anything, because you are. I think that you're simply gorgeous and – err, um…"

"Take your foot out of your mouth and think before you speak," I laughed nervously as I pulled a pair of jeans from the drawer.

He sat on my bed, so I tried to stick as close to the perimeter as I could. Once I had a pair of jeans and my underwear, I turned to find a shirt. Only to have something hit me in the back of the head and fall to the ground.

"Just take mine," Jake declared as I slowly turned around and picked up his rumpled shirt.

"I-I can't, what're you going to wear? I mean – Sam wouldn't-"

"Take your foot out of your mouth and think before you speak," he mocked childishly.

Shaking my head with a smile on my face, I held my towel close to my frame and shuffled back into the bathroom. After a few moments the towel lay discarded on the floor while I stared at myself in the mirror. The jeans I'd taken were a pair of slightly worn dark blue skinnies that were torn to bits at the bottom of each leg. Jacob's shirt came down just shy of my knees and the sleeves passed my elbows, I was swimming in the light gray fabric.

I brushed my hair and clipped it up on my head before brushing my teeth and checking my face in the mirror. It took me a moment or so to decide whether or not to bother with makeup, but I still walked from the bathroom when Jake called my name; sans makeup.

"Lord Jacob, it's big enough to be a dress!" I exclaimed with a chuckle as I tried to avert my eyes from his bare and extremely toned chest.

"You look cute," Jake said, the bed squealing as he removed his weight from it. "I'll meet you in my Rabbit, I've just got to grab a shirt and then we'll go."

I nodded my head and bounded down the steps after him and headed to the closet in the front hallway. Pulling a coat on, and my ankle boots, I headed out the door and locked it behind me. When I turned around, Jacob was leaving his house in a t-shirt.

"Jesus, you're going to catch a cold!" I shouted as I turned around, preparing myself to rifle through my father's clothes to find him something that will fit.

He laughed, he actually laughed at that. I crossed my arms and pouted like a five year old. "Trust me Samantha, I won't get sick. But if you don't do up that coat of yours you will."

I grumbled something unintelligible but none the less zipped up my jacket before hipping into the passenger seat of the Rabbit. Jacob leaned over and took my hand in his, only to release his old and turn the heating up seconds later. The butterflies that had erupted in my stomach were still fluttering around, causing my nerves to jolt into action.

We arrived at First Beach minutes later, an orange fire licking around full of life off in the distance. As we stepped from the pavement onto the sand Jacob's arm wound around my shoulders and pulled me closer to the warmth that emitted from his body 24/7.

"What're we doing here exactly?" I pondered as the dancing flames illuminated the silhouettes of various figures.

"Have you ever heard the legends of our tribe?" he asked. Upon seeing me shake my head, he grinned. "Well, they're really interesting. Come on, my dad's about to start."


	46. Chapter FortyFive

January gave away to February, and I spent Valentine's Day in the living room of my house listening to music really loud and pigging out on junk food. March rolled along just as quickly, in fact tomorrow's St. Patrick's Day. Also conveniently known as my 16th birthday.

"So Canada, what are you planning on doing for your sweet 16 tomorrow?" Embry asked at dinner, all of us sitting at the tiny table at Sam and Emily's.

"Nothing, it's just another Sunday. I'll probably just sleep in and stay in my pajamas all day," I replied, taking another bite of spaghetti and meat balls.

---

My alarm clock went off at 5:30 the next morning. I practically threw back the covers before I pulled on a pair of Chuck Taylors. After the bonfire, I've spent practically all my spare time searching the web for a store around her with the book I was looking for. Luckily, Port Angeles had it.

This morning, before anyone was up, I was going to go to Port Angeles and pick it up. Slowly, I crept down the stairs and out to my car before I started it and headed down the road. I had a strange feeling that someone was watching me.

None the less I made it to the store and back in roughly half an hour; thank God that the store was open this early. It was 6 am when I finally got upstairs and cracked open the book. The Quileute legends went into further detail. The cold ones that were mentioned in the legends fit the description of Cullen and Nathan perfectly.

Closing the book I pulled out my laptop and pulled up an internet browser and went to Google. Typing in cold one, various other words popped up to define it; _vampire_.

Other places had different names for it, but it was still the same thing. They had pasty white skin, they were rock hard, cold to the touch, had immaculate speed, super human strength, they had amazing hearing, and they drank blood. Apparently, human blood turned their eyes red while animal blood turned them topaz.

I stared at the screen in horror; I was kidnapped by a vampire only to be saved by another one and a werewolf. Sweat beads began to form on my forehead and the back of my neck. I was going to be a vampire's snack!

My alarm clock flashed 6:30 am as I pulled the book up beside me. I flipped back to the Google homepage and typed in imprint. The first web page that happened to pop up consisted of a brief history of the Quileute tribe.

As my eyes traveled down the text, scanning it for information on imprinting, my bedroom door burst open. Before I knew what was happening, I was hoisted over a broad shoulder and carried down stairs. Knowing it was one of the boys I didn't bother to put up a resistance, though I'm unsure of where my laptop and book went.

I was plopped onto a couch before anyone said anything. "So, Canada, why were you up so early anyways?" Embry questioned as the couch cushion caved as he sat down.

"Just reading," I replied as I tried to take in my surroundings, but it was just impossible in the dark.

"Really, because I think you were trying to ruin your birthday surprise."

I laughed and shook my head, my hair flying around wildly. "I didn't know I was getting a birthday surprise until now Em, but thanks for telling me."

A light flicked on and I blinked a few times to get my eyes to adjust. Embry ran a hand over his face and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept in two days. When he felt my stare, he turned his head and locked his tired eyes with mine. I reached out a hand and placed it on his forearm.

"Don't tell them I told you," he murmured.

"I won't, just tell me how you got in because I could have sworn I locked the door," I admitted as I ran a hand through my hair.

He chuckled and stood. "Sam let me in, your dad went on a trip for work and he didn't want you to be alone."

"Oh," I replied, feeling slightly upset that my father had to go away especially on my 16th birthday.

It was quiet for a while, the ticking of a clock and out rhythmic breathing creating the only sound in the average sized house. I leaned back, making myself comfortable as my eyes stayed on Embry's rigid form. As if he were in my head, he spoke up.

"I never knew my father," Em admitted, pulling his eyes from the floor to stare back at me. "My mom didn't want to tell me about him – even his name! – so it's just been me and her since day one. She tries her hardest to be there, but with all that's going on I've learned that she's got it just as hard as I do."

My eyes scanned Embry's face. I wasn't looking for something to tell me that he was lying, no, I was looking for a hint that would tell me what had Em like this; what was the thing he's learned about his mom?

"Embry, I don't…what're you…?"I stumbled, my mind so jumbled I didn't have the ability to form coherent sentences at this point.

"She's got cancer, she's had it for a while but now it's getting worse."

I was gapping like a fish. "Em, I'm…she'll get better. There are doctors-"

"The doctors are doing everything they can. When the Cullens come back, Carlisle offered to take a look at her but…,"

He sighed and ran a hand roughly through his hair. Dr. Carlisle Cullen, was he in any relation to the vampire Cullen from the forest?

"I don't know if she wants the help now, you know?" he continued, seeming now as if he was talking more to himself than to me. "It's almost like she's giving up hope and letting this slowly drain the life out of her."

The clock on the wall showed that it was nearing 7:15 am. Embry seemed to be crumbling in on himself as he continued to mumble lowly. Making sure I made minimal noise as I moved, I sat beside him and ran a hand over his back in soothing circles. "Did you want a cup of tea?" I whispered after a while.

My only response was a small incline of his head. I rose and made my way into the kitchen to turn on the kettle. When it was all poured, I walked back to Embry with both mugs in hand.

"I'm sorry I'm ruining your birthday," he said, looking up at me with sadness as he accepted the cup.

"Its fine," I admitted, resting my cup on my leg. "I'm always here if you need to talk."

---

"Ew, Paul, you're so disgusting!" I shirked as I watched him shove an entire piece of cake into his mouth.

He smiled, swallowed, and grabbed for another one. I shook my head and scooped some ice cream onto my spoon before popping it in my mouth. Everyone was seated around the kitchen table at Sam and Emily's, my various gifts and envelopes in the living room a few feet away.

After hearing my name being called, I turned my head to address the boy. Though, I was never expecting to have a piece of cake shoved in my face. The room went deathly silent before the cake slipped from my face and landed on the table, leaving only the icing behind. That's when Embry – the culprit – burst into hysterics.

"That's such a waste of cake Embry!" Paul complained as he shoved another piece down his throat. Everyone chuckled lowly as I raised both hands to wipe the icing from my eyes.

Jacob, sitting on the other side of me, tapped my shoulder and I slowly turned to face him. When I saw that he didn't have a piece of cake in his hand I was relieved. His hand crept under my chin and pulled it up so he could press his lips firmly to mine. The kiss was so sweet and felt like it could go on forever.

Until Sam ruined it be clearing his throat.

He pulled away and licked his lips. "Mmm, chocolate," Jacob smirked, resting his arm over the back of my chair as everyone else in the room shared a knowing look and a low chuckle.


	47. Chapter FortySix

I woke up on April 2 thankful that I only had to put up with minimal practical jokes the morning before. My bag was packed and sitting on my bed as I exited the bathroom. The heels I wore clicked against the stairs as I headed down them, surprised beyond belief that my dad was making breakfast.

"Good morning honey!" he cheerily greeted as I stood leaning against the opposite side of the island from him.

"Morning dad," I mumbled, picking up a piece of toast. _Why the hell was he home?!_

He must have noticed my hesitating to take a seat for he sighed and leaned against the counter by the stove. The plate beside him clanked against the counter as he banged into it slightly. "I'm sorry I haven't been around a lot, work has me pretty much occupied all the time," he apologized, slipping the pancakes from the skillet onto a plate.

"I know, and I understand, Dad," I said as I took a seat at the island. "You love your job and you're good at it, don't let me stand in the way."

My dad shot me a blank stare and I mentally slapped myself, I never meant for it to come out like that. "Dad, I-"

A knock at the door stopped me in my tracks. My dad went to open the door, leaving me to tend to the bacon sizzling in the pan. When I heard the door open, I strained my ears to hear what was going on.

"G'morning Mr. Uley, how are you?" Jacob's voice filtered through the front hall.

"Ah, good morning Jacob. I'm fine, just making breakfast. Have you eaten yet?" my dad responded.

Knowing Jake, he wouldn't turn down an offering at food, even if he had eaten. "No, I was planning on grabbing a muffin from Sam's on the way to school."

The grease that the bacon sat in popped and landed on my arm, pulling my attention away from the conversation. I held in a string of profanities as my legs carried me to the sink quickly.

"What happened?" my father asked, watching as I kept my burning arm under a long stream of ice cold water with a towel stuffed in my mouth.

The warmth of a hand seeped through the fabric of my shirt, letting me identify the person before having to look back at him. I mumbled something unintelligible and not coherent that Jake got a chuckle out of.

Removing the towel, I managed a few words through my teeth, "Damned bacon grease!"

My dad mumbled about grabbing a few things from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Jake, on the other hand, held my arm under the water while removing the towel from my mouth yet again.

"How the hell did you get burned that bad from bacon grease?" my dad asked as he walked into the room with a first aid kit.

"I don't know, I wasn't paying attention and then I heard a pop," I replied, grabbing onto Jake's forearm with my free hand. "Next thing I knew, my arm was burning like the fiery pits of Hell!"

A hiss escaped my lips as my dad dabbed my arm dry before placing a cool gel over the burn. My hand clenched around Jacob's arm as I bit my lip furiously. In a very reassuring manor, I could feel Jake step closer to me.

"Leave this on and when you come home I'll reapply the gel," my dad said as he wound the gauze ball around my forearm numerous times.

---

"What in God's name did you do to your arm?!" Kim exclaimed, staring at my arm; where my long sleeve once covered.

I cursed this top as my eyes met everyone's at the table. Jake, conveniently sitting beside me, held in a laugh he so desperately wanted to let out. Subconsciously, my hand rolled my sleeve back over the gauze.

"I burned myself on the stove this morning," I finally answered, dismissing it rather quickly as I picked up my apple and took a bite.

Kim nodded her head, accepting my answer without asking for me to expand on my reply. Jake snickered lowly, shifting closer to me in his seat.

"Is that the story you're telling everyone?" I could hear his amusement with this.

Quil and Paul, across from us, were giving us looks that clearly portrayed their confusion in the manor. My eyes remained on my apple.

Jacob shifted in his seat again, leaning forwards and staring straight at the boys across the table. After a moment or so, they all began to squirm as they placed hands over their mouths. I could see the humor and amusement in their eyes and immediately turned to my neighbor.

He refused to look at me so I could only assume the worst, he'd told them. Embarrassment was the first emotion to overwhelm my being as I tried to shirk onto my oversized hoodie. And that's all it took, the guys lost their control and burst into tedious fits of laughter.

"It's not funny guys," I muttered lamely, lifting my gaze momentarily.

Kim glanced at Jared with a pleading look. When Jared had finished the quick tale, she looked up at me and her eyes filled with sorrow. I nodded my head to show her I appreciated her concern before my attention was drawn to Paul.

"How the hell did you burn yourself? Aren't people who're cooking supposed to pay attention?" he questioned, a smirk planted firmly on his face.

I mumbled something incoherent as I fumbled with my sleeve, feeling like a complete fool. A few of the boys laughed at my response and continued to joke around; all in good fun. Even though I partly knew they were just poking fun, it started to irritate me.

Without warning – after Paul's quip of my carelessness – I stood from my seat and grabbed a hold of my tray. As I roughly tossed my uneaten food in the trash can, I could feel the worried stares of the boys – plus Leah and Kim – bore into my back.

My mind wasn't entirely processing anything and I don't know why. I don't know why I focused so hard on hearing the conversation between Jake and my dad.

"Sam?" a far away voice asked. For a while, I pretended that he hadn't called.

_Flashback_

_Seth's and my eyes locked as Jacob continued to growl at Paul. Slowly, but surely, the two bickering boys joined me and everyone else in staring at Seth. It seemed like hours passed before the deafening silence was finally broken. _

_"Merry Christmas," he said, shutting the door and shaking the snow from his hair. "How is everyone?" _

_No one replied. All anyone did was stare between me, him and Jacob. I remained frozen on the spot as a silence over took Sam and Emily's once again. _

_When he looked over at me again, I could have sworn I saw a small smile –the same one he always wore when he saw my body – fitted over his lips. _

_"Hey Sam, you look good," Seth said rather cheerily, but even Jacob didn't miss the double meaning. _

_End of Flashback_

"Samantha!" he hollered again, closer this time than before.

Without so much as a second thought, I turned around and stared at my ex boyfriend as I flipped him off. He looked at me in complete astonishment before he kicked it into overdrive and walked beside me.

"Piss off," I muttered, not in the mood to put up with his bullshit right now. "I'm not in the mood to hear your voice let alone see your face."

He stopped right there on the spot, leaving me to continue the walk past lockers until I got to the exit. Nothing ran through my mind once I got past the school doors. Not that I was skipping. Not that I left everything in my locker. Not that no one, not even me, knew where I was going.

I pressed on, staying along the tree line for as long as I could before plunging into its endless trees. Once I was in it, though, I wouldn't be able to find my way out and back to school even if I tried. When I heard the waves crash, I followed my ears and found myself on First Beach.

Samantha's school outfit  
.com/samanthas_school_outfit/set?id=7246431


	48. Chapter FortySeven

I walked along the shore; kicking pebbles and watching the inky black water wash up on the shore and flow back into the lake. When a strong gust of wind blew, I buried myself further into my oversized black hoodie.

"Are you okay?" I slowly turned, looking up at Embry.

Shrugging my shoulders, I lowered my gaze to the ocean. "Paul was joking around, you know. They all were. None of us meant to offend you," he explained.

"Yea I suppose," I dismissed, taking a seat on a bone white log submerged in the sand.

Embry took a seat next to me and rested his elbows on his knees. My eyes were still transfixed on the large body of water before me. Overhead, a flock of birds flew in the standard V formation.

After a long silence, he spoke up again," So why'd you come here?"

"I find a certain serenity walking this shore," I replied. "Just watching the waves crash against the rocks, it reminds me that anything can end in a blink of an eye."

The silence from before returned as I leaned in closer to Embry. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and rested his chin on my head. The two of us sat like that, in complete silence, just watching the waves.

---

"Dad I'm going out!" I hollered as I bounded down the stairs on Saturday morning.

I was clad in a pair of black skinnies, a band tee, an oversized black hoodie, and a pair of Converse; the outfit Sam and Emily bought me for my 16th. The bag that held my camera and accessories was slung over my right shoulder. The few new accessories I had were courtesy of Jared and Kim as a great birthday gift.

When I threw the front door open, I caught a glimpse of Jacob, Embry and Quil walking off into the forest. If my mind wasn't so set on just having a day to myself, I may have called to them. Instead, I walked in the opposite direction and headed to the beach once again.

I snapped a picture or two along the way of anything that happened to catch my eye. Sometimes, I was tempted to place my camera down and put the timer on to make the picture look better.

As I neared the beach, the familiar sounds and smells assaulted my senses. When I finally came upon the beauty of First Beach, I almost smiled. Someone was walking the shoreline. Looking closer, I noticed that it was none other than Seth.

He walked along the shore, the water just reaching his feet, before he hit a certain spot and turned around to retrace his steps.

My eyes scanned the beach, looking for a sign of another person – Raph – with him. When I found none, I slowly crept from the shadow overthrown by the forest I stood by.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with his back to me.

I quirked an eyebrow at his tone, disregarding how he knew I was there, and crossed my arms. "I was coming here to take some pictures and saw you pacing. I thought I'd be nice and ask what's wrong but clearly you don't want the company. So, I'll be leaving-"

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. Samantha I, I'm just a little stressed."

"Yea, I can see that. What's wrong?"

He gave me a look that questioned my sympathy towards him. When I made no movement he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's Raph; she's…she's…"

"Spit it out man!"

"She's in the hospital."

It took me a moment, but I finally managed to wrap my lips around a coherent sentence. "What?" Okay, word.

"She's in the-"

"No, no. I mean, what's she doing in the hospital?"

A look of sheer horror crossed his face. "She uh, she got um, attacked by a err bear."

---

My butt's been planted on the same spot on the half buried bone white log. Seth sat beside me with my arms around his middle. The two of us haven't moved an inch for about an hour and a half.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, looking up at his tear stained cheeks and eyes.

His chest reverberations were jagged from his crying, but they slowly calmed down to normal. "I'm not," he paused, causing confusion to dawn on my face. "I'm not who you think I am, I'm not _what_ you think I am."

"Seth, what are you…?" I mused, pulling away from him to the point where I wasn't touching him at all.

He sighed, roughly raking his hand through his short crop of hair. But he seemed to be getting frustrated, whether it be with himself or me. Angrily, he stood and gripped his hair like he was trying to pull it out.

"I'm not……good," he replied, stopping his senseless pacing in front of me.

"I don't…I don't understand."

He laughed humorously as he shook his head back and forth. "Why would you understand? You're just an innocent…human…with no knowledge of what else roams this world. God, I wish I could be as naïve as you!"

My feet instantly drew me backwards and I could see that he was offended by it. His hands began to shake at his sides before his entire body followed suit.

"I'm a monster, of course you won't want to stand near me," he roared. "I'm a fucking monster!"

As I backed up again, my heel hit the log I once sat on and I toppled onto my backside. I tried my hardest to scramble to my feet quickly, but it was no use.

His large frame towered over mine as he continued to shake profusely.

"Seth!" I almost cried for joy as Paul's voice filled the air surrounding us. My head snapped in the direction of the voice quick enough to see who accompanied him before zooming back to zero in on Seth.

"I'm a monster Paul!" he screamed, "We all are!"

From the looks of it, his shaking seemed to be getting worse. "Calm down, man! This isn't something for you to get worked up over!"

"She's in the hospital because of me! First Sam and Emily and now I've done it to Raph."

"It was a simple mistake," Jacob said, standing above my shoulder. "Don't make another one."

By now I was aware of everyone on the beach; Sam, Jared, Paul, Jacob, Embry, Quil, Leah, Colin, and Brady joined Seth and I.

"Get back, Seth!" Sam hollered/demanded in a voice I've never heard him use.

"It's too late now," Jared said, the solemn in his voice matching his face.

Sam and Jacob looked at me in horror, already aware of what was going to happen. I looked up at my ex boyfriend win an indifferent expression on my face.

I don't know why my mind didn't kick into panic mode, all I know was that Seth was shaking like a leaf and everyone was on edge.

As a ripping and popping noise filled my ears everything that passed before my eyes appeared in slow motion. Seth disappeared from my sight as a loud and final rip echoed through the air; Jacob had scooped me up and shielded me with his body.

A growl replaced the rip and I held myself closer to Jake. The panicked voice of the boys wafted my way.

"Jared, go with him and get him to calm down," Sam ordered, appearing beside Jake and I. "Quil go to the hospital and check on Raph. Jacob, let's get her to my place."


	49. Chapter FortyEight

"Sam, we have to tell her, she deserves to know!" Jacob's voice reached my ears from the kitchen.

A heavy sigh filled the silence of the whole house, everyone sitting in the living room with me kept their eyes in my direction. "I don't want to drag my little sister in this big mess. She was already kidnapped with no knowledge of us. Imagine how bad it'd be if she knew."

Leah shifted in her seat across from me, catching my attention. The look on her face caused my entire body to freeze. That's when her eyes dropped to a piece of paper on the coffee table before once again meeting mine. She nodded her head, urging me to take the paper.

I leaned forward slowly and grabbed the small slip of white paper. On it was a name and an address; _the Cullen's._ The breath left my lungs as I blankly stared at it, the only thought running through my head is what they are…_vampires._ Leah forced her gaze to meet mine before he inclined her head towards the front door.

The sound of my footsteps created blocked out the voices of my brother and Jacob Black. A few stares on my back were the only acknowledgement to my leaving the house with Leah. Once out, Leah walked with me to my car and sat in the passenger side before starting the engine.

"Just head to the address and I'll explain everything along the way," Leah said, turning to face the front of the vehicle.

Turing out of the driveway, I had a feeling in the back of my mind of what she was going to tell me. The car remained silent for a while before Leah sighed.

"Do you remember when you were kidnapped," she began, looking out her window, "anything that either…person said that was unusual?"

I nodded my head, remembering both of them talking, basically, about a mean of some sort. "Well, they're not who – what – you think they are."

My eyes opened wider, but I couldn't see the road in front of me. Instead, the scene from the beach earlier played consistently like a broken record. Seth's voice roaring about him being a monster echoed around me.

"Watch out!" Leah grabbed onto the steering wheel and pulled up back into our lane. "What was that all about?!"

"Sorry, I was…err, daydreaming," I replied, placing my hands onto the wheel before making a right hand turn. "Continued on, I promise I won't space out again."

Leah was skeptical at first, glancing at me from time to time until she was finally confident enough in my driving. The silence returned again, shorter this time, before she turned to me.

"Neither of the guys you encountered in the woods are human. They're…pull over here; their house is just on the other side of the road."

Stopping my Comaro, I turned my head to see an absolutely gorgeous house and Bella's beat up old truck in the driveway. Leah got out of the passenger side and was on the other side of the road before I even got out of the car. She turned around expectantly and waved her hand so I'd get into gear.

"Leah are you sure…?" I questioned as I climbed the stairs behind her tall form. My throat closed up as she raised her fist to knock on the door. _They're freaking vampires for crying out loud!_

The door flung open before Leah's knuckles even brushed against the wood. Dr. Cullen smiled brightly at me from the other side of the threshold. _Where are the fangs, aren't vampires supposed to have fangs? _I smiled meekly at the doctor as I tried to slowly back away.

A cold hand on my waist stopped me, and my breathing, dead in my tracks. "While Sam and Jacob are discussing if they should tell her or not, I figured you could explain your half to her," Leah said, her usually nasty stare returning to her face.

"Why should be expose ourselves to her?!" a beautiful blonde sneered. "The Volturi are already freaking over Bella, we don't need another one."

A heart laugh from behind me caught my attention. "Hun, relax. She was kidnapped, almost attacked by her ex and is a ticking time bomb. She has a right," I knew that voice; it was the guy who practically saved me.

"Emmett," a bronze haired guy said. "His name is Emmett."

My eyes widened as I turned to look at Leah. _What the hell?!_ A sudden sense of relaxation hit me and I could feel the lazy grin spread over my face.

"Hey mood ring! Knock it off!" Leah snapped, glaring at a blonde who looked like he was in pain. A small pixie-like girl rocked from her heels to the balls of her feet impatiently beside him.

Dr. Cullen shut the door before turning to the blonde. "That's enough Jasper, let her go," he said softly, walking past me to stand near a gorgeous woman with auburn hair. "Take a seat, Samantha; it's in your best interest."

Emmett's hand gently pushed me towards a tan leather couch. As I hesitantly sat down, Emmett flopped onto the couch beside me and put his arm over my shoulders. Leah remained beside the front door with a pained expression on her face, nose scrunched up oddly.

"I'm taking Bella home," the gorgeous bronze haired boy piped up. "My name's Edward, but I appreciate the compliment."

A blush covered my cheeks and everyone went rigid, especially the one Leah called mood ring. Seeing as Edward passed her on the way out, Leah was standing at the side of the couch nearest to me. When I felt the heat leave my cheeks, the entire room relaxed.

The room was silent and I shifted uncomfortably. Carlisle sat across from me and smiled kindly. "I don't want you to freak out once you hear this, but I also don't want you to be uncomfortable with my children," he looked towards Jasper, the "mood ring."

I had the urge to tell them I knew what they were, not to mention pull out a clove of garlic and tell them I knew Buffy. My heart rate and my breathing hiked skyward. The front door opened to reveal Edward with a huge grin on his face.

My eyebrows knitted together as I watched him. _What the hell? _He walked over to Jasper and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hide the garlic," he laughed, "and board up all the doors. She's considering calling _Buffy_!"

"Is she now?" Emmett joked, pulling me closer to him. "Then she must know what we are, not necessarily how to injure or kills us. This is probably a good thing."

Carlisle was joined by the woman with auburn hair. "Emmett, not now," he turned his attention to me and stared at me in all seriousness. "Are you aware of what we are?" When I nodded my head Edward practically demanded I say it aloud.

"_Vampire_," I whispered, lowering my gaze to my hands in my lap.

Leah snickered from beside me, deciding not to mask the humor in her voice as she corrected me on the word I chose. "We prefer the term _bloodsucker _or _leech_," she said.

I turned my gaze to hers, _what does she mean by "we"?_ Edward turned to stare at her before asking the question I thought of just moments earlier.

"All of us in La Push, all us-" she began.

"Werewolves," I supplied, gaining everyone's attention once again. "Or shape shifters, whatever you call it."

The entire room quieted before an awkward laugh drew everyone's attention. Then, slowly but surely, Emmett joined in. "She knows more than she lets on," Jasper said once his laughing ceased.

Edward chuckled and looked at me. "Did you know that vampires – not necessarily all but most – have a special gift?" When I have no reply, he continued. "Of course not, you thought garlic would have an effect on us! Anyways, Jasper can alter people's moods, Alice-" the small pixie-like girl grinned from beside Jasper. "- can see the future, to an extent."

"I have super human strength," Emmett piped up, flexing his muscles cockily.

Rosalie wrapped her fingers around his shoulder and squeezed. "That's a given for all of us babe."

"And I can read people's thoughts," I turned away and listened to him tell Leah I wanted no one to know that I knew.


	50. Chapter FortyNine

Edward had explained to her that I didn't want the guys to know and on the drive home she didn't ask why. Not the next day or the day after that. Even three days after the meeting with the Cullen's she never questioned it.

She was quiet which confused a lot of the guys – if not all – especially when Paul took a shot at her. Most brushed it off though, claiming that it was just her in another mood swing. I quickly deflected that idea before it made its way down the grape vine.

I planned on finding out today.

Sam let me take his truck to school seeing as dad was taking mine in for an oil change and didn't mind driving around in dad's hunk-o-junk. I sat in the flat bed of the truck, propped up on my elbows, after school let out. Paul was leaning to the side relatively close to me.

Suddenly, he spoke up. "Do you think she's majorly PMSing?" he asked, all seriousness leaving his voice as he turned to me.

"You're an absolute idiot," I remarked, tossing my heavy school bag at his head. "Just because she's moody does not give you any right to assume that!"

"Jeeze, thanks for the lesson _mom_."

"Get outta here!" I joked as he tossed my bag back into the bed of the truck.

I looked up at the sky, happily basking in the warmth of the sun just like everyone else on the res. That's when I got an idea. Reaching into the cab through the window, I pulled Nick, my acoustic guitar, into the flat bed with me. Once I'd opened his case and pulled him from it, I leaned against the cab and pulled the heart pick from his neck.

Then, slowly, I began to strum and my fingers found the right chords quite easily. And that's when I softly began to sing. "I've practiced this for hours

gone round and round

and now I think that I've got it all down

and as I sing it louder

I love how it sounds

cause I'm not taking the easy way out

not wrapping this in ribbons

shouldn't have to give a reason why."

I stopped to take a breath as I continued my strumming. "It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow

I can't believe that I stayed till today

yea you and I will be a tough act to follow

but I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

"It came out like a river once I let it out

when I thought that I wouldn't know how

held onto it forever just pushing it down

felt so good to let go of it now

not wrapping this in ribbons

shouldn't have to give a reason why," I turned my head, ready to hit the chorus again when I noticed people staring.

The entire parking lot had quieted and everyone was smiling in my direction. People who once stood in the lunch area were now sitting on the grass just listening. I turned my head only to see my boys leaning against the hood of the truck with astonished looks on their faces.

"It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow

I can't believe that I stayed till today

there's nothing here in this heart left to borrow

there's nothing here in this soul left to save

don't be surprised when we hate this tomorrow

God know we tried to find an easier way

yea you and I will be a tough act to follow

but I know in time we'll find this was no surprise.

"Our favourite place we used to go

the warm embrace that no one knows

the loving look that's left your eyes

that's why this comes as no, as no surprise

if I could see the future and how this plays out

I bet it's better than where we are now

but after going through this

it's easier to see the reason why."

As I began to strum the chords for the chorus, a few people took a spot closer to the trunk and sang along with me. "It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow

I can't believe that I stayed till today

yea you and I will be a tough act to follow

but I know in time we'll find this was no surprise.

"The kiss goodnight

it comes with me

both wrong and right

our memories

the whispering before we sleep

just one more thing that you can't keep

our favourite place we used to go

the warm embrace that no one knows

the loving look that's left your eyes."

Everyone around me joined me on the last line once they heard it. "But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise," I played the last few cords before ending the song.

It was quiet, for all of ten seconds before the entire yard and parking lot erupted into cheers. The boys – my boys – came around to the bed of the truck with large eyes and large smiles.

"Since when have you been able to do that?" Jacob asked, completely baffled.

I smiled meekly, looking at Leah as she looked at the truck in utter disgust. "There are a lot of things you don't know about her," she murmured, leaning against Jake's Rabbit and fixing her stare with mine.

My smile dropped from my face quicker than lightening when I saw the guys look at each other in confusion. I stood in the flat bed – guitar in its case – and hopped over the siding. Without a second glance at any of them, I opened the passenger door and placed it on the seat.

As I walked around the back to shut the door on the flat bed, three guys walked up to me. "You're Samantha right? Samantha Uley?" the tallest boy asked. When I nodded my head he grinned and stuck out his hand for me to shake.

"My name is John and these are my two friends Stu and Jason," he pointed to the two shorter boys behind him. "We're in a band and we heard you playing-"

"You were so totally _awesome_!" Stu chimed in.

"-and we were wondering if you wanted to join our band…we need a guitar player and you're perfect for the job," he rambled, slipping a hand to the back of his neck in the process.

I chuckled at his excessive yammering before nodding my head. The three boys before me broke into smiles a mile wide. John grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket and asked if I'd scribble down my phone number for him to text be about our practices.

When the three boys left, Jacob, Quil and Embry turned to me with weird expressions. "Um, why'd you just give three strangers your cell number?" Paul asked, adding that it took him at least a week to get it for himself.

"They're not strangers exactly; they're in a few of my classes. They're the other kids sitting as far away from the board as possible," I answered as I headed to the passenger seat.

Jacob looked skeptical as a few other boys nodded their heads. "I don't think he just wanted your number to text you deets about the band," he suggested, leaning against the body of the truck beside me. "I think you should stay away from them all, personally speaking."

Paul snorted as he climbed into the bed of the truck. When Jared joined him, he spoke to Jared in an overly loud stage whisper, "He only wants her to leave them alone because he's too chicken to ask her out."

I could have sworn I heard a growl rumble low within Jake's chest. "Shut up Paul," he bit, glaring at the boy. Shaking my head, I just walked towards the driver's side and sat inside.

"Leah," I asked out the window, "You want to come to my place to talk?"

She nodded, reluctantly, before climbing into the passenger side of the pickup. I watched as a number of emotions crossed her face, bringing her nasty break up with Sam to mind.

"Alright you guys," I called to the boys in the flatbed, "where do you want me to drop you off?"

Embry frowned at me as he leaned back onto his elbows. "Can't we just go home with you?"

"Sorry but I don't bring strays home with me."

The boys erupted into 'oohs' and other juvenile ways to tell him that he'd just gotten "burned". That's when Leah decided to butt in and ruin all their fun; to our pleasure.

"She was referring to all of you, not just him," she laughed, watching as the realization dawned on them all at separate times.

Quil was the first of them to speak. "Hey! That wasn't very nice."

Ignoring his comment by laughing it off, I told the boys that I would drop them off at Sam's on the way to my place. Jacob drove behind me as we left the school and I could feel Leah's gaze burning a hole in the side of my face. I already had an idea of what she wanted to ask me.


	51. Chapter Fifty

Jacob's Point of view

It's now early May and I feel like a complete douche. Quil imprinted on a three year old – Emily's niece – and Paul imprinted on my older sister Rachel; much to my dismay. Why does this make me feel like a douche? Paul already told my sister everything and I can't even tell Samantha what we are!

Though, it's not entirely my fault because Sam won't let me get his little sister involved. I mean, she's already been kidnapped, at least tell her so she can put up a descent fight!

I growled under my breath at the thought of another man laying his fingers on her body. Slamming my front door open then shut, I was greeted with the insanely gorgeous figure of Samantha Uley – in an extremely revealing outfit.

"Having a bad day?" she asked, her voice sounding like angels singing, tossing a guitar case into the passenger seat.

"Erm, no. I just, I don't know – can I talk to you for a moment?" _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

She turned to me as she walked around the front of the car to get to the driver's side. "Sure, but I have to be at school in 10 minutes. Can we talk in the car?"

I nodded my head and ran – human speed – over to the car. When I opened the door, she slammed the trunk shut after moving her guitar. As she started the car I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. There's _no way _I can tell her what I am. But I have to…

"So what'd you want to talk about?" her voice made me even more nervous. Her absolute innocence in the situation made me consider not telling her like Sam wished.

After a few moments, I found my voice. "I was just wondering if…maybe you'd go on a…date with me this weekend?" my voice sounded frail to me and I began to fidget.

"What'd you have in mind?" I turned to look at her for a split second before my mind started reeling for something.

"I was intending on it being a surprise," she looked at me out of the corner of her eye before a smile broke out on her beautiful face.

"Yea, sure, I'd love that."

I grinned despite of myself before I saw the school come into view. The three guys in her band were all standing around their van waiting for her. I could feel a growl work its way up my throat at the sight of them smiling at her.

She pulled into the parking spot next to their van and raced to the trunk to get her guitar. As I climbed out of the passenger side, the lead singer – John – sent me a death glare. A small chuckle bubbled in my throat as I walked around to grab the amp form a struggling Sam.

Placing my hand on her waist, I lead her towards the school with her band in the wake. After walking a few feet, I looked behind us only to see that all three of them were staring intently at her ass. I swiftly moved behind her and flipped the guys off over my shoulder.

When we got to the auditorium, I helped her set up her amp and guitar. "Okay Jack," John said as he stood in front of me. "You've got to get off the stage so we can do our sound check."

Seeing as his back was to Samantha, he sneered at me and rudely ushered me back stage. As I watched him walk back on stage I had a sudden thought; if he could have pushed me off the stage without upsetting Sam, he would have. He spun around to look at me – a wicked smirk on his face – before he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips.

I growled and took a threatening step forward, only for a strong hand grabbing onto my shoulder pulling me back. "What the hell?!" I barked, whirling around to face none other than Paul.

"Whoa, Jake, man, what's…oh," I looked over at him only to see his eyes on my imprint and the soon-to-be-dead man. "It doesn't matter anyways…"

I snorted, "Oh yea? And why is that exactly?"

"Because we've got Quileute blood running though our veins and it makes us absolutely irresistible to every and all females," he explained, shaking his head at me like I was a child too stupid to understand what he was saying.

"And that doesn't apply to him how? He's lived on the res his entire life and his whole family-"

"You don't get it, do you?" he grabbed my bicep and pulled me to a secluded area where we still had a view of Samantha and her band. "We're werewolves, Quileute werewolves! She's your imprint and as much as you're drawn her she's drawn to you; regardless of other guys."

"Yea but Seth-"

Paul growled a sigh, "Yea but Seth nothing! All werewolves are attractive. When you pissed her off, she went with the first one who made her feel better. Regardless of what you keep trying to tell yourself, her feelings for you are there, you just got to do a little work to find them."

I Stared at Paul in bewilderment as what he was saying made sense. The band stopped their sound check and Paul's serious face slipped back into his usual playful grin as Samantha bounded towards us.

"What'd you guys think?" she asked, sliding the guitar behind her as she beamed at us.

Paul grinned and raked his eyes up and down her body. "Well…," he mused, "I can guarantee that no male will be able to turn away from your performance." He winked and gestured towards her long legs.

"God you're such a perv!" Samantha laughed, shoving Paul away. She turned to look at me, her eyes going large. "What did you think Jake?"

I took another look into her brown eyes and yearned to just take her into my arms. "You did amazing, you're going to blow everyone away," I grinned at her as she wrapped her arms around my waist in a hug.

---

"How do you think she's going to do?" Quil mused as we walked with the hundreds of other students of La Push High to the auditorium.

Paul leaned in close to Quil before whispering, "Even if she does mess up, no one will be paying attention to her guitar playing, if you know what I mean."

I was astonished when Embry was the one to reach over and smack Paul on the back of the head. A laugh forced its way up my throat as I watched him shoot an angry stare at Embry before we all took our seats; eighth row from the back, dead centre.

After a few moments the entire auditorium was filled to the brim with students and the lights dimmed. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to La Push High's first Battle of the Bands!" the announcer – someone behind the curtains – paused as everyone cheered.

"Everyone will vote after every band has played. Now, to get this party started, here are the Wolves!"

---

"Alright, and now we have our final band of the day. Please put your hands together for Beautiful Disaster!" the announcer said before the entire room went dark and the curtains opened.

To a human eye, they would just see vague figures. But we saw every detail as they all took their place. When they were ready, Samantha nodded to someone off to the side and a single spot light shone on her perfect form. A few boys whistled while most acted like dogs…that is, until she silenced them all when she started playing.

She practically shredded her electric guitar before she stopped, stepped on something and then the stage lights zapped on as the drummer kicked in. When she started to play again, it sounded different, it sounded great.

I wasn't even paying attention to what anyone else was doing, all that mattered was her – it was like imprinting all over again. The way she walked around the stage was impressive. But her intense guitar playing surpassed it al.

By the time the singer started the entire auditorium was on their feet. Samantha smiled largely and went back to the drummer, standing on the slight raise the entire kit was on. She jumped off backwards, swinging her hair from side to side in the process.

"The good life is  
what I need  
too many people  
stepping over me  
the only thing that's  
been on my mind  
is the one thing I need before I die"

She sauntered towards her microphone just in time for the chorus to start. "**All I want** is a little of  
the good life  
**all I need** is to have  
a good time  
**the good life" **With her voice merging with his, the entire room exploded. Cheers bounced off the walls and brought a radiant smile to her gorgeous face.

I looked over to the guys to see them staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths. "Hey!" I shouted, loud enough for just them to hear. "Close your mouths or you might end up catching a few flies!"

Samantha's Point of view

My fingers flew over the strings as the song neared the end. John was finishing up his vocals and Stu, Jason and I were jamming on our instruments bringing the song to an end. As I hit the last note, I jumped into the air and landed – in heels. It didn't take any time for the entire room to jump to their feet and begin screaming their lungs out.

I smiled and laughed at bit as everyone began chanting _Beautiful Disaster _followed by _Samantha_. The band walked to the front of the stage and gave a small bow before all of us quickly walked backstage extremely giddy.

"Dude that was so _awesome_!" Stu – the drummer – said, slipping his drum sticks into his back pockets as he raked a hand through his hair. "I can't believe we just rocked it that hard, we're so sick man."

Our bassist Jason just grinned like a madman as he padded me on the back. "Way to shred it out there Sammy, that definitely put us ahead of the other bands."

We quieted down as the announcer walked past us and walked on the stage. After a few moments, we heard him call each band out onto the stage individually. Our band was the last one to be called onto the stage, the entire room erupting into louder cheers than they had before.

"Alright, alright, calm down!" he laughed, lowering the microphone as he walked towards the first band to play. "Let me hear you scream if you want Slaughtered Nights to win?" The crowd cheered and he continued down the line of bands until he came upon us. "Now, let me hear you cheer if you want Beautiful Disaster to win."

The entire room jumped to their feet and I was tempted to cover my ears with the intensity of the screaming. Even the announcer took a step back and laughed before going back to speaking. "Whoa," he chuckled, sauntering towards the middle of the stage. "It appears that we have a clear winner. Beautiful Disaster, congratulations, you are the first band to win La Push High's Battle of the Bands!"

---

"All hail the Queen of Rock!" Paul joked, getting down on his knees and bowing up and down rapidly. Soon, Jared, Quil and Embry joined him on the front lawn of the Young/Uley house. Jacob laughed at their uncanny matters but in turn picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I shrieked in surprise but allowed him to carry me off into the house – my lazy side almost thanked him for picking me up.

When we walked into the small house, I caught a glimpse of Emily giving us a strange look from the kitchen. I laughed at her expression before I was flopped onto the couch. "Do I even want to know?" Sam asked as he walked into the room, Emily wrapped in his arms. Jacob flopped down on the couch narrowly missing my legs before I swung them over the side so I was sitting up right.

Jacob pulled me onto his lap as Jared and Paul sat down on the couch that I used to take up completely. "Rocker chick right here just won her band the Battle of the Bands title," Jared said, pulling me closer to him and rubbing his knuckles into my hair. I muttered something under my breath about him being an asshole as I fixed my hair, a few of the boys laughing at me in the process.

"I never knew that you could play guitar," Sam mused, resting his chin on top of Emily's head.

I laughed, allowing myself to mold into Jacob's side perfectly. "When you left for La Push, I needed something to keep my occupied so I asked dad to set me up with guitar lessons. I learned for about a year and a half and have been playing ever since then."

"You should see her guitar," Embry added, "her electric is absolutely bad_ass_!"

"His name is Ethan and the acoustics' is Nick."

"Wow, you actually named your guitars?" Paul laughed; throwing his head back like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard in his life.

I looked over at the boy, an eyebrow raised and an indifferent look on my face. "Are you seriously making fun of my naming of my instruments?"

Paul stared at me for a second before he began to ramble on, throwing out excuses left right and centre. When I realized that he wasn't going to shut up until I said something, I just began to laugh. Jared, Quil, Embry, and Jacob looked at me like I was insane, but that just made me laugh even harder.

"Man, I was just kidding you!" I exclaimed, standing up. "It's probably strange, but they're important to me…they practically keep me sane."

I started towards the front door, listening to the guys talking behind me as I walked. As I neared the door, a comment that Quil made caused me to pause; "I think she really needs a boyfriend." That hit something. Quickly and quietly, I continued along until I was outside beside my Comaro. As I opened the door, I was aware that one of the boys was coming to the front door to check on me. So, I started the engine and shut my door before the person could even step foot onto the front lawn.

As I cruised down the streets of La Push, the only place that I could think about going was the Cullen's. Oddly enough, I decided to follow that idea and turned down the windy rode that would lead me through Forks and to their secluded abode.

Edward was standing on the front porch as I pulled into the drive way. "Are you alright?" he asked, scrunching up his eyebrows as he scanned me over for any body damage; no doubt racking my mind for any emotional damage as well.

"Yea I'm fine, I just had to get away from the guys for a while, you know?" I sighed, leaning against the railing as I raked a hand through my hair only to have my finger snag on a knot. It took me a few times for me to get it through, but when I finally did – and looked up – I could see that Edward didn't entirely believe me.

He took a step closer to me and I was tempted to lean into him. "You know," he began, moving a stray piece of hair from my face. "I don't have to be able to read your mind to know that something's troubling you."

"It's just that, I don't understand why he would say that I need a boyfriend – even if it was in a complete joking manor!"

"I know and I understand," Edward moved the two of us down from the porch until we were slowly strolling through the forest nearest to their house. "Have you heard about imprinting?"

It took me a while to realize that he was referring to the werewolves – my boys. "Um, I know a bit. Just what I've heard from the one time that I went to a bonfire. Other than that, I have a book about Quileute legends and such but I just haven't had time to read it yet; much less get into detail about something like this."

"Did you want me to-?"

"No, I'm going on a date with Jacob at the end of the week and I really want one of the boys to tell me."

"I know what you mean, but if they haven't told you now what makes you think that they're going to tell you eventually?" he wasn't being a dick about this; he was truly concerned about my well being.

"Honestly, I don't. I just want to trust him enough to tell me something this important because I might…I might just…"

"Love him?"

A blush rose to my cheeks at hearing him say it out loud. "Yea," I replied, focusing my attention to my feet as I kicked a rock free from the bed it'd made in the soft soil. "Yea, I just might."

Edward opened his mouth to say something, but it wasn't his voice that was heard. "Samantha!" Emmett called barreling through the forest towards me with a playful expression on his face. A small smirk pulled up the corners of Edward's mouth as he watched me being swooped up into his "step" brother's arms.

"What are you doing all the way over here in Forks?" Emmett asked, placing me on the ground as he sandwiched me in between himself and Edward.

I contemplated telling him the real reason before I just decided to tell him that I'd come over to see how their family was doing. Emmett went into this long rant about different things that was going on in their house hold. He also briefly touched on Bella and Edward, much to Edward's dismay.

As we neared the house again, I caught Edward giving me this look out of the corner of my eye. Emmett entered the grand home before I did and that's when Edward placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me from entering. "Just be careful with the boys in La Push, alright? None of us here want to see you get hurt."

I nodded my head, understanding where he was coming from, before entering in before him. As Emmett ushered me to the couch and thrust a game controller into my hands, I thought about how when Seth almost popped into a wolf. Maybe I'm too comfortable around the boys…

"Come on Sammy, I'll kick your ass in Mario Cart Wii," he laughed, pushing the play button on the console before plopping down onto the ground at my feet.

"Oh you're definitely going down," _and I'm definitely feeling something for a certain werewolf…_

Samantha's Out fit

.com/good_life/set?id=17668107

Samantha's Electric Guitar

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	52. Chapter FiftyOne

_Flash Back_

"_I hate that you don't want me to tell them you know!" Leah complained, tossing herself onto the couch when we got home. "I mean, it's not as simple as you think it is." _

_I headed into the kitchen, grabbing two apples and tossing one towards her when I walked back to the living room. She caught it easily, munching on it almost instantly. The memory of her telling me about the communication between wolves was fresh in my mind._

"_Sorry," I muttered, "I want him to tell me though; I want him to trust me." _

_She sighed and nodded, raking her free hand through her hair. "As much as I think Jacob's a total dick and doesn't really deserve you, he's got to tell you about it fast because you need to trust him as much as he has to trust you." _

_We were both silent. The two of us munching on our apples as the clock ticked loudly. _

"_I'm sorry for what I did to your brother," I finally said, dropping my eyes to the coffee table in the middle of the floor. "He didn't deserve it." _

_A small laugh bubbled up from her throat, "Don't," she replied. "He deserved it." _

_My eyebrow quirked skyward but I didn't question her. The room dropped back into its silence before she muttered about boys being pains in the ass._

_End of Flash Back_

"Emily, I love what you did to my hair!" I squealed, looking in the bathroom mirror. "And my make up, you should do this professionally."

She laughed it off and moved a few strands of hair from my face. My longish bangs were half pinned up and half left to drape over my face. The usual waviness of my hair was transformed into a straight and slick curtain of gorgeous brown locks.

My eyes were framed with the much loved black/grey smoky eye and my lashes never looked longer. She'd applied an extremely thin layer of liquid foundation before dabbing on a light pink blush. My lips were coated with a rub red lipstick, something I protested but instantly loved once I saw it on me.

When she stopped fussing with my hair, she stepped back and grinned. "You look stunning, he's going to be absolutely awestruck," she giggled.

I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks as a bright red blush took over. My eyes darted over my black dress, heels, tiny over coat, and all the accessories that went with it. In a way, I suppose, I looked stunning.

"Sam," Emily hollered down the stairs, "are the both of you ready?" She'd decided to make a big deal over the ordeal; like it was prom or something.

After he called up and told her that they were ready, she smiled at me before turning around and heading for the stairs. I hesitated for a moment or two, deciding if I'd rather follow Emily down the stairs or climb down the side of the house. I had absolutely no idea who was downstairs at this moment and I fought the urge to run into the bathroom.

My hesitations were longer than I thought because a knock at my bedroom door startled me. I muttered some form of acknowledgement before the door was opened by none other than my father.

"Are you okay honey?" he asked, walking into my room and placing his hands on my shoulders.

I nodded my head and wrapped my arms around my stomach. Slowly, I lowered myself onto my bed; my dad sat beside me seconds later. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer in a reassuring hug.

He sighed after a moment's silence, "What's bothering you?"

"Is is just Jake and Sam down stairs?" I questioned meekly.

Nodding his head, he replied, "Emily's there too, why? Wait, you're not as nervous about your date as you are the people who'll see you…right?"

"Well," I stammered, "There's that and the fact that this is pretty much my first date."

My dad stared at me for a moment, not talking or moving, before he removed his arm and stood up. He paced the room a few times before a laugh bubbled up in his chest and spilled over.

"Honey, what I'm saying inst something that a father usually tells his daughter," he said, leaning against a dresser against a wall. "But you've got a young man waiting down stairs to take you out on a date you'll never forget, and I want you to go knowing that everyone supports you."

I could feel tears pricking the back of my yes. "I love you dad."

A smile filtered over his face as he opened his arms wide to embrace me. "I love you too sweetie," he muttered, his voice catching in his throat a bit as he choked on his tears.

"Don't do that," I laughed, whipping the tips of my fingers under my eyes. "You're going to make me cry and I'm going to ruin my makeup and Emily's going to kill me!"

He laughed along with me, gave me one last squeeze and placed his lips on my forehead. With that, he walked out of my room and headed down the stairs. This time, though, I was following several paces behind him.

As I descended the stairs, I caught glimpses of both my brother's and date's reaction. Sam's jaw was on the floor and his eyes darted to Jake once his mouth closed.

"I swear Jacob, if I hear that you even thought about touching her, I will rip your arms off and beat you with them," Sam growled, glaring at Jake who stood there awestruck.

Jake snapped out of his daze and shot Sam a meek smile before his attention shot over to me and he beamed. As I reached the last three steps, he approached the staircase and extended his hand for me to take.

"Thank you," I muttered, smiling at him once I was off the stairs.

He lowered his lips to my ear and whispered, "You look gorgeous."

A blush covered my cheeks again and my first instinct was to cover it with my hair, something Emily shot me a death stare for.

"Alright," my dad started, "Both of you have a great time tonight and, Jacob, have her home before 11:30."

My date nodded, placing his arm out for me to take hold of, "Of course Mr. Uley." He opened the door after we said our goodbyes to everyone in the room.

"Wait," I produced the keys to my car from my clutch. "You can drive this; I know how proud you are of fixing it up."

His face lit up before he eagerly took the keys from my hand. He opened the door for me to get in before he hopped over the hood to the driver's side.

"Jacob tonight was…fabulous," I gushed as he shut the driver's side door after a great dinner at an above average restaurant. "Where are we headed now, you missed the turn to head home?"

He continued on in silence, his face blank and his eyes forward. I sighed and leaned back further into my seat, focusing my attention out the window at the blur of passing trees. After awhile, though, the density of the trees died down and the sound of waves crashing caught my attention.

It took him no time to park the car and open my door. "I hope you don't mind," he confessed, placing my hand on his elbow as we began walking, "But I thought this would be a great end to a date."

I chuckled a bit, "It's wonderful Jake." The sun was beginning to set at this point, painting the sky red, orange, pink, and purple.

Just before we reached the sand, Jacob leaned against a tree and rolled his dress pants to his knees, removing his dress shoes and socks as well. I leaned against his side as I slipped my heels off and unbuttoned my little jacket.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and winked at me before he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt. I playfully pushed his shoulder before taking off down the long stretch of beach. His laugh bounced around me as I heard him barreling after me.

It didn't take him long before he caught up with me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His breath tickled my neck as he spoke softly in my ear. "Have I mentioned yet that you look gorgeous? Cause if I haven't…gorgeous is an understatement."

I giggled softly as he removed his tie and placed it over my neck. He placed his lips delicately on my neck as I placed my hands on his and stared out at the endless water in complete bliss.


	53. Chapter FiftyTwo

I still floated on cloud nine as I walked through the front doors of La Push High on Monday morning. People I passed in the halls hesitated before smiling at me, my enthusiastic smile causing them all to second guess their reaction.

"Someone got laid this weekend," Paul joked as I turned the corner to access my locker. He wiggled his eyebrows obnoxiously and elbowed Embry in the ribs a few times.

I snorted and bumped his thigh – he's too tall for me to bump his hip – with my hip to get him to move away from my locker. "Ooh, frisky," he continued; being the ass that he is, he took a firm grip of my hips and closed the space between his crotch and my bottom. "I like that."

My elbow snapped back so fast I wasn't completely aware of what was happening. Paul jumped back as I grumbled, rather darkly, that his games were getting old. When I turned – the boys having been deathly silent – I saw that they were looking at me like they'd seen a ghost.

Closing my locker and slipping my bag over my shoulder, I turned and smiled big at the two boys before skipping towards the server in the cafeteria. I picked a big cookie, an apple and a chocolate milk carton.

As I walked back to my locker, I could hear all the boys talking. "Dude, she absolutely freaked! She's so close to it, it's coming faster than Sam thought," I heard Embry confess.

I don't know why, but I was sort of pissed off that they were talking about me; though they always seem to be "secretly" talking about me. A growl started to form deep in my throat as I rounded the corner and shot them a glare.

Embry was the first to turn and receive my glare. Everyone else ended up turning and witnessing my death glare, but I focused my eyes on him because he's the one who was talking. He appeared to pale slightly as I stopped in the middle of the hall and crossed my arms.

I could still feel the growl bubbling up as Embry stammered over his words. "Good morning Samantha," Jared said, a calm and cool expression on his face. "How was your weekend, I heard you and Jacob went on a date on…Saturday?"

My mind was split with holding the grudge against Embry and everyone else or to hold a civilized conversation with Jared over my amazing weekend. Shooting another glare Embry's way, I composed myself and turned, smiling, to Jared.

"Morning Jared," I said, rather cheerily. "My weekend and date were great. How was your weekend, spend time with Kim?"

I could tell that the tension in the hallway was being lifted slightly. "Yea, actually, she came over to my house and we watched her favourite movies," he replied, smiling at me brightly.

"The two of you are seriously cute," I admitted, tossing my apple at Leah when she passed by. She smiled at me and continued on her way, Jared smiling cheerily when I turned to face him.

He wore a proud smile on his face and he seemed to be staring off into space. When Kim entered the hallway, he instantly snapped out of his daze and zeroed in on her form in a matter of seconds.

When I caught Jared's eye again, I laughed a little and leaned my back against my locker. I broke off a piece of the cookie and popped it in my mouth before I opened the chocolate milk and took a long swig.

Midway through my swig, Kim and Jared teamed up to get back at me for sort of teasing Jared. "Jacob was telling Jared last night that you gave him the "most amazing" blow job after the date," she said smugly, using air quotes and laughing to herself.

I don't know what her desired reaction was, but I do know what she got as a reaction; me spitting out and choking on my chocolate milk. It reached the other wall, lined the hallway directly in front of me and dripped down my chin.

"What the fu-"

A strict voice – Mrs. Weatherby – cut me off, "Miss Uley!" her voice broke as her high pitched shrike bounced off the walls. "I hope you weren't intending on using the word I think you were going to use."

"No ma'am," I replied through my teeth, aware that the guys and Kim were fighting back fits of laughter. "I wouldn't dream of using such vulgarities in school."

She gave me a stern look before walking – like she had a stick up her ass – away. The hall was deathly silent until the clicking of her heels was no longer heard. That's when I exploded.

"What the hell are you guys smoking?" I yelled at Kim and Jared. "And you! I'm sick of everyone talking about me all the time because you guys know something that I don't! Paul, I swear to God if you touch me one more time I'll rip your fucking head off!"

"Miss Uley!" I froze and stared at the vice Principal, Mr. Smith. "Detention, Miss Uley, 3:10 pm in room 101."

I sighed and nodded my head, grabbing my chocolate milk after he walked away. It was so tempting to throw it over someone's head. Instead, I tossed the cookie to Jacob and the chocolate milk to Quil.

Grumbling to myself, I stalked off and headed towards my first period class, hoping that Mr. Heith was in his room and I could talk to him before the bell. When I pushed open the door and saw him sitting in his chair, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Excuse me, sir," I quietly mumbled as I pushed the door open further. When he asked me what was wrong, I sighed. "I really don't feel like going to my first few classes because something came up. I'll remain on the property but I just need to be on my own."

He nodded his head as he stood from his seat. "And you want me to call the office excusing you from your first…?"

"Three classes, I'll return for music right before lunch."

It took him a while, but he eventually agreed and called the office as I headed towards the cafeteria's server once again to pick up the same order. Once I had my food, I headed out to the picnic area.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a familiar voice asked. "It appears that the wolves let you out on your own. Just my luck."

I could practically hear the smirk in his voice as I munched on another piece of my big cookie. His breath made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Do you have a special power?" I asked; my voice level as I took another bite of my cookie.

He hesitated; I know he did because it went back to the peaceful silence I was enjoying. But that didn't last long, seeing as his cold hand clamped down on my shoulder and his nose trailed along my neck.

A small chuckle flew past his lips. "So your mutts finally told you about all this stuff. It's about time!"

"Not exactly, the Cullen's informed me of basically everything vampire related. I wanted to hear about the wolves from Jake and them, all I know is the stuff from the tribal stories," I answered, offering him a piece of my cookie.

Nathan's eyebrows shot upward but he denied it and snatched my apple instead. He smugly grabbed my milk carton and chugged it down in no time at all. Once he wiped his mouth on his sleeve, he mused, "Well, at least you're aware of what _I_ am, screw the damned mutts!"

"You still haven't answered my question. What is your special ability, power or whatever you call it?"

He smiled again, this time putting a finger under my chin to raise my view to meet his. "So smart and so focused for such a young person, he mused. "I am…overly charming to humans."

"Sure about that? You're nothing special, not compared to other vampires," I laughed, finishing my cookie and tossing the wrapper away.

"Alright, you caught me. I'm not a tracker, but I can find things that I want easily and without problem. It's almost like I zone in on whatever it is like a tracking device."

I allowed his words to seep in, saving them to memory before I looked him square in the eye. "Is that why you always seem to find me whether I'm alone or not?" the question was burning a hole in my but I had a feeling I already knew the answer deep down.

"Preferably when you're without your mutts, but yes it's basically like that."

"Why me?"

The picnic area went quiet again, the wind whipped through the trees and whistled in my ears. Nathan stood in front of me with his hands limp at his sides. His unusually bright red eyes seemed to lose the intensity they once held and I just sat there waiting for an answer.

"A month before you came into tow, my mate and I were coming by to grab a snack," he raked a hand through his hair. "Your mutts caught us on their land and attacked. One mutt – your mutt – was the one who killed her. I only stuck around because you came and I had a chance at revenge. An eye for an eye…"


	54. Chapter FiftyThree

"Where the hell were you and why the fuck do you reek?" Jacob roared as I entered the cafeteria with Paul's firm grip on my elbow.

I tugged it loose and let out all the air in my lungs in a quick breath. "I didn't feel like going to class so I stayed in the picnic area. Is that alright with you, mom?"

"Don't give me that attitude! I was worried that something had happened to you or something! What were you thinking?"

"Would you stop overreacting? I was just outside, it's not like I was in danger or anything!"

I was sure by now we'd drawn a crowd but I was too full of rage towards the boy I was in love with to pull away. My chest was heaving at such a rapid pace, I was afraid my heart was just going to burst out of my chest.

I was completely aware that I'd left a trap for him in my last statement. Though, I don't know if he picked up on that, but I know that he caught the aroma of vampire all over me.

"You, you're just so…fucking frustrating!" Jake seethed, pulling the two of us out into the hall, Paul following suit. "I don't understand why you've got to fight every fucking thing I tell you!"

A humorless laugh jumped from my throat. "Did you ever think that maybe I'm just as stubborn as you are? You want things to go your way and when they don't you blame other people for things. And if you want to know frustrating, try being in love with a pain in the ass like you!"

I stopped all movement of my body once those words had left my mouth. Jacob and Paul froze as well; all matters argued previously were forgotten instantly.

"Samantha…what-?"

My legs carried me out of there so fast I didn't think it was humanly possible. I didn't care where I was headed; all that mattered was that I needed to be away from here.

"Samantha!" Jacob hollered from somewhere behind me. "Hold on, wait up!"

My mind was whirling, trying to formulate excuses to feed him. I was hyped up on cough syrup; I wasn't feeling like myself, I wasn't referring to you exactly, and je ne parle anglais. Needless to say, none of my excuses would provide an avid reason.

Pretty soon, I was in a hallway that I wasn't familiar with and Jacob's heavy footsteps no longer echoed throughout the hall. My breathing was laboured and I leaned against a nearby wall to support myself.

"Tsk, tsk," a cold voice chided. "I've heard that you're a smart girl, but it's rather stupid of you to run away from the hero and into the hands of the villain."

A fire deep within me ignited, flickering slightly as it overwhelmed the fear and embarrassment I previously felt. "Who are you?" I demanded, squinting my eyes to see as the lights flickered a few times before going out completely.

His malicious laugh bounced off the walls around me before I was chilled to the bone as a strong wind passed. I crossed my arms and tried to keep warm but I could feel his presence behind me. "All in due time, my love," he cooed. "You'll find out in time."

"I'm not afraid of you!" I bit, turning around to try and find him somewhere in the endless darkness. "I don't care what you are, I'm not afraid of you or what you can do. I'm so fucking sick and tired of everyone trying to scare and intimidate me. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I have to be dominated by assholes!"

"Harsh words for such a small girl," he whispered as he placed his ice cold hands on my hips. "You think that you're not afraid of Nathan, but, deep down, you know you should be afraid of me, love."

I closed my eyes tight as his cold lips traced up and down either side of my neck. His breath caused the hair on my neck and arms to rise on end and my breathing to pick up. I felt his fangs scrape across the flesh of my neck, not so hard to puncture the skin but just enough to give me a glimpse of fright.

"How'd you know Nathan?" I breathed, opening my eyes in time to see him dart in front of me. His red eyes illuminated the dark and I saw shadows that covered his face. Blonde hair dripped and got in the way of his eerie eyes.

His laugh echoed around the hall again as he closed his eyes, something that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland's Cheshire cat. I was left standing there as I waited for an answer and before I knew it the lights had flickered back on.

"Samantha!" the voice startled me, causing my balance to waver and me ending up on my knees willing air into my lungs.

My vision was blurring slightly and I felt extremely dizzy. I placed a hand beside my head as I leaned against the wall. Black spots clouded my vision for moments at a time before disappearing and returning. All sound around me sounded like I was under water and no one else was.

At one point when my vision was fine, I realized that I wasn't in an unknown hallway; I was leaning against my locker. I could feel my shoulder and leg shaking, something I didn't have an answer for until I turned my eyes up and saw Jacob's worried expression.

"Can you hear me? Oh God, Embry! Embry go and call Sam!" he panicked, snapping his finger in front of my face before he lowered his head so we could see eye to eye.

I could feel the bile rise in my throat as the black spots left my vision. "Jake," I whispered delicately. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. Everything you said was true and I'm sorry I fought it."

"Sure, sure," I joked, plastering a smile on my face as I watched him chuckle at the use of his catch phrase. I turned and adjusted the way I leaned against the wall, absorbing the cold that passed from the wall to my body; chilling it pleasantly.

He reached up and brushed the damp bangs from my face, tucking them behind my ear before he placed his lips to my forehead. "Are you alright?" he asked, cupping my cheek with his hand.

"Just a bit dizzy and nauseous," I admitted. "Oh, and my vision's kind of messed but I'm sure it'll pass soon enough."

"Are you sure?" he sat down beside me and waved his hands around. "I sent for Sam anyways and hopefully he brings Dr. Cullen with him."

I nodded my head once before closing my eyes and trying to get comfortable against the wall. Jacob shifted next to me and sighed loudly before we went into complete silence. Well, we were silent; people passed the hallway nosily and commented on our "hide out" during lunch.

Jake chuckled softly, "These people really need to get a life." I felt him place a hand on my leg gently, shifting me so that the passers by couldn't fee my face. "I mean, do they really think we'd have a heated make out session in the middle of the hallway?"

My eyes opened and met his in an instant, raising my eyebrows in confusion while his eyes twinkled with mischief. "I wouldn't mind it, to be quite honest. But I don't think that my desired partner would agree with my motives."

The two of us went quiet, my eyes mesmerised by his. His face seemed to be getting closer to mine and all sound but his rhythmic breathing and heart beat escaped my ears. My eyes closed slowly as I felt his warm breath brush over my face.

When our lips were mere centimetres apart, Sam's panicked voice filled my ears. "Samantha, oh my God are you alright?"

Jake and I jumped apart so quickly. Sam and Embry rushed to my side, panic flashing in their eyes. Dr. Cullen came rushing in behind them, Emmett and Edward following him closely. Jacob froze up for a second or two before he inched closer to my side.

Carlisle asked me various questions about how I felt while the rest of the guys crowded me and the Dr. Jacob was practically breathing down my neck he was so close.

It took Carlisle Cullen about 5 minutes to come to the verdict of my…"panic attack". He kept a straight face as he packed all his doctor things into his brief case. I turned my attention to Edward – Jake, Embry and Sam doing the same – and watched his eyes widen.

_Shit. That's definitely not good._

"Here," Dr. Cullen placed two Advil tablets in my hand while Emmett held of a water bottle for me. "Take these and you should be fine, you may experience further dizziness or nausea but it's just a side effect of your panic attack."

I nodded my head as I popped the pills into my mouth and downed half the water bottle. After I muttered a soft thank you, the Cullen's left La Push High; Edward looking over his shoulder as he walked away.

_Great, so I'm the girl who has panic attacks now. Yay._

"Did you want to come home?" Sam asked, helping me up once he was on his feet.

My first answer was yes, but the memory of my getting a detention flashed in my mind. "No, it's alright; I'll stay," I replied as I picked up my bag.

Sam shot me an odd look and Embry answered his unasked question, "She's got a detention after school." Now I definitely won't be able to get out of this explanation afterwards.


	55. Chapter FiftyFour

I took a seat in room 241, staring at the black board in front of me. Not too long after I entered, the teacher supervising today's detention walked in and took his seat. A relatively old man with a balding head popped open his brief case and removed a newspaper from it. He put his feet on the desk and leaned back in the chair, ignoring my presence completely.

The clock ticked aimlessly, filling the quiet room with an echoing sound. I tapped my fingernails against the table top in rhythm to the clock, hoping that time would fly by and I could leave soon.

After a few minutes, I tore my eyes off the clock and placed my head on top of my folded arms. It didn't take more than a few seconds for my eyes to drop and my mind to wonder. I thought about taking a nap seeing as I had nothing better to do.

Though, others seemed to think my idea was farfetched because the classroom door burst open and hit the wall with a deafeningly loud thud. Both mine and the teacher's heads snapped in the direction of the noise.

"Sorry about that," he apologized lamely. "I was late and didn't expect it to snap back like that."

The teacher grunted and went back to reading his newspaper before he got a call from the office and had to leave. Slowly, I placed my head back on my forearms and tried to ignore his presence in the room.

Much to my dismay, he took a seat next to me and inched his desk closer to mine. The two of us were deathly silent until he cleared his throat rather obnoxiously. I ignored it and breathed in deeply.

"What more do you want me to say Sam?" he finally asked. "I apologized for being an ass; I don't know what else to do."

I bit my lip, contemplating what exactly I was going to say to him. It's not like I'm mad at him for being a stubborn asshole, I'm more upset that he's keeping me in the dark. My head started to throb as I continued to weigh my options to their fullest extent.

My mouth was bone dry as I lifted my head from my arms. "There's nothing more you can say, Jake. I know you're sorry and that you apologized because you were being an ass," I answered, not looking at him at all.

"Then what is it?" his hand made its way from his desk to on top of my elbow. "Why are you still on no talking terms with me if you're not mad about that?"

I lifted my eyes from my desk and stared at him, just stared at him. Deep down, I knew I couldn't tell him that I knew; I didn't exactly know why I knew, but I had a gut feeling about it.

"What's imprinting? Your dad touched on it briefly at the bonfire, but at that time I'm usually so engrossed in the story that anything else goes in one ear and out the other," my voice sounded raspy, like I'd been deprived of a beverage for a long time.

His face perked up just slightly, but other than that there was no major change in the way he held himself. "You remember, as a small child, that whole idea of someone being made specifically for you; like a soul mate?"

I nodded my head, my eyes darting down to his hand for a second before I caught his eyes again.

"Imprinting is sort of like that. It's when a werewolf lays his eyes on someone and all of a sudden it's like the world around him disappears. All the strings that hold him there vanish and the only thing holding him anywhere is a metal cable to his imprint," he explained, a dazed look in his eye and a half smirk coming from absolutely nowhere.

My heart began to swell as I continued to stare at him. "That has to be the most…adorable thing I've ever heard."

He agreed with me quite quickly, his smirk turning into a full on smile. "She's the only girl he's interested in but it doesn't always result in a relationship. The werewolf who imprints becomes whatever she needs, a friend, a brother or a lover. But not all wolves imprint, it's a rare thing to happen."

"Does she feel attracted to him too? I mean if he feels so strongly attracted to her it would suck if she didn't like him that way."

"Yea, she usually does end up feeling a pull to him just as strong as his pull to her is. Sometimes, they say, imprinting doesn't always turn out the way a wolf wants it to. It's like falling in love with your best friend's sister, but the bond is stronger and there's nothing anyone can do to change it."

I nodded my head and allowed the thoughts to mull around in my mind. There's no question that I'm attracted to the boy next to me, but is it honestly imprinting…?

"So you guys are really interested in the whole imprinting process, huh?" I wanted to shoot myself in the foot after asking him that question.

"What do you mean?" he asked, getting a bit jumpy.

I swallowed against the lump forming in my throat and fidgeted in my seat. "Um, I've heard the guys mention imprinting a few times."

My eyes were down on my chipping black nail polish as I waited for him to break the deafening silence. Inside, I was beating myself up for mentioning the topic. I felt like an absolute idiot.

"They need a life," he laughed. "None of them have a chance at getting a girlfriend so they like to busy themselves with talking about imprinting."

I smiled and laughed along with him. "Personally, I think that the whole concept of imprinting is adorable. Just having the knowledge that there's someone out there made for you, it's romantic."

"But he'd be able to phase into a monster," Jake argued, dropping his eyes to his hands like I had.

Placing my hand on top of his, I waited for his eyes to meet mine. "They don't kill people, they protect them against the monsters that kill them," I answered, intertwining our fingers absentmindedly.

His warm hand grasped min in a loving embrace. The twinkle in his eyes was captivating and I found that I couldn't look away. Slowly, his face got closer to mind until there was only a breath between his lips and mine. IN the blink of an eye, I had pressed our lips together.

Fireworks were going off on the inside of my eyelids as an electric shock coursed through my veins. Jacob's hand knotted in my hair as he traced his tongue over my bottom lip and I happily granted him entrance. He slipped his other hand over my hip and pulled me onto him, on his lap.

I placed a hand on his cheek as he adjusted the hand on my hip to ensure I wasn't going anywhere. Slowly, my hand traced up his forearm to his bicep. I tried to pull myself closer to him but I realized that this was as close to him I could get with us positioned like this.

We had to pull away after, what felt like, forever to take a much needed breath. He rested his forehead against mine and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His breath tickled my nose slightly and I allowed a small laugh to pass my lips.

"What?" he breathed, pressing his lips to my nose for a moment before chuckling slightly.

I smiled and dropped the hand from his cheek to his chest. He readjusted his hands so he was no longer grabbing my hair but simply holding me to his body. "This is just so…," I trailed off, tracing basic shapes on his chest.

"Exhilarating?" he asked smugly. "Breathtaking?"

"Amazingly beautiful," I whispered, placing my lips on his for a second. "The words you used fit too, though."

His booming laugh filled the quiet room as it bounced off the walls and caused the windows to shake slightly. As he shook his head at me I unlatched his hands from my hips and stood. I could feel his gaze on me as I bent to pick up my tote. When I began to walk to the door, his hand wrapped around my wrist.

His eyebrow was cocked in a confused expression when my eyes lingered over his form. I raised an eyebrow and made sure a suggestive smirk lingered on my face. He smirked back and took a step closer with hands aiming for my hips, only to have me step away from him.

"What're you…? No, he'll come back and you'll get a worse punishment," he ranted, allowing his arms to go limp as he stared at me with a determined expression.

I simply shrugged my shoulders and sashayed my hips as I walked to the door. "He won't come back, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him," he looked at me like I'd grown another head before he smirked.

"You're just a bundle of surprises, aren't you?" he questioned, slinging his bag over his shoulder swiftly.

Turning around, I shot him a wink before I walked out of the detention room. My feet made a clicking sound as I continued down the hallway; Jacob catching up quickly.

We'd gotten a few doors down from the classroom when the teacher's voce behind us boomed down the hall. I turned my head towards Jake and told him to run as I took off down the long stretch; the teacher continuing to yell.

Once we were outside in the parking long, I erupted into a fit of laughter. "You're one crazy chick, did you know that?" Jake asked as he stood next to me, placing his lips to my head. "I don't think I'll be able to keep up with you much longer."

I smirked at him, "Well then I suppose that's your loss, now isn't it?"

He grinned evilly at me before I was thrown over his shoulder and carried to my car.


	56. Chapter FiftyFive

"Happy Friday!" Kim gushed as she walked in sync with me after entering the school. She shocked me, as I wasn't aware that anyone was behind me.

I placed a hand over my heart before a laugh choked through my lips. "Thank God, this week passed so slowly!" I exclaimed as I headed to the servery.

"Whoa, how much do you plan on eating before class?" she asked as I dropped my armful of food before the cash register as I pulled out my wallet.

She put all the items I bough into my bag as the server lady handed me back my change. "Not much, most of it's for Jake," I replied, placing the last few items in my bag.

"So you and Jake are…?"

"Just friends."

Kim stopped and stared at me with a knowing smile before she sung, "with benefits."

I stared at her in disbelief before we followed the hall, heading for our lockers first. "Are you sure that you don't smoke? Because I have no idea what would make you think that Jake and I are friends with benefits."

We rounded the corner after we got what we needed from our lockers and Kim broke our silence. "I don't understand you, Samantha. More than half the girls in the school would kill to be in the position you're in, yet you deny everything when you know that you like him. And I don't smoke."

"Do you know something that I don't?"

She smiled at me and sped up, lengthening her step and swaying her hips. I smiled and shook my head, following along behind her as my eyebrows quirked her reasoning. None the less, I smiled as I turned to the hall in which all the boys hung out before the day. Jacob was the only one missing and Kim's sad eyes met mine.

She leaned into Jared's buff chest as her eyes held a conversation with mine. It was clear that she was upset for me, seeing as Jacob wasn't present. I smiled at her, though my smile was severely fake, and wrapped my arms around my abdomen.

"You aren't, by any chance, upset cause I wasn't there, are you?" a warm breath danced across the back of my neck before his hand slithered around my waist and clasped over my own.

I took an involuntary step back and pressed myself firmly into his body. "Maybe," I mused, turning my head slightly so I could see him out of the corner of my eye. "Maybe I was waiting for Paul. I heard some girl in my gym class say that his junk is-"

My sentence got cut short when his hop lips captivated mine. He spun me around and gripped my hips as my hands feebly inched up his chest. One hand knotted in my hair when he pushed my back against a nearby locker. Slowly, my hands slipped over his shoulders and cupped around his neck.

Someone clearing their throat caused me to lower the leg that had risen up Jake's thigh. He reluctantly released my hair and took a step back, shoving his hands in his pickets as his eyes smiled at me. I blushed and adjusted my clothes before straightening my hair down my back.

"What the hell was that?" asked an incredulous Embry after a moment's silence. My eyes darted to Jacob only to see that he was already smiling warmly at me.

I snickered silent thinking about the sentence that provoked him to latch his lips to mine. His overly cocky smirk told me that he was proud of what he'd managed to accomplish. I rolled my eyes at him and gently jabbed my elbow into his ribs before turning to look at Embry with a coy smile.

He bunched his eyebrows together as he continued to wait for an answer. Movement behind me caught my attention and two arms wrapped around my wait. "What you saw, Embry," he stated as he rested his head on my shoulder. "Was me and Samantha in a heated make out session, basking in our new relationship."

Jake's lips pressed against the base of my neck softly before I spin around and stared at him wide eyed. He grinned down at me, awaiting me to speak. A lump had formed in my throat so the only thing I could muster was a subtle nod of my head.

His smile brightened up the hallway before he leaned into place a sweet and gentle kiss to my lips. When he pulled away, Kim let out a girlish squeal and promptly ambushed me, asking all sorts of questions in one breath.

Jared and Jacob shot me sympathetic looks as I was dragged from the hall, Kim yammering on the entire time.

"You guys are moving your wedding up?" I asked once I walked into my house after school and had a brief conversation with Sam and Emily.

She smiled at me from the couch while Sam walked towards her from in front of me. My father glanced my way and headed into the kitchen, asking if any of us wanted a cup of tea. Sam took a seat before changing his mind and standing. He slid a hand over the back of his neck. "It hasn't been moved up a drastic amount of time…just a few months really."

"It'll be in late June instead of early October," Emily filled in. "We've got…certain circumstances that make this date better."

I raised an eyebrow at her as I studied her profile. Her hand dropped, subconsciously, to her stomach and rubbed small circles over the middle. Her smile was contagious and before I knew it, Sam and I were smiling brightly at each other.

He walked over to Emily and placed a loving hand on her belly, over top of hers. "You're going to be an aunt," he said when his eyes met mine.

My mouth dropped in awe and I just stared at my soon-to-be sister-in-law. I'm going to be an aunt…wow. "Dad?" I croaked out, watching as he walked in with four mugs of tea. "You're going to have a grandkid."

"I know," he smiled as he placed a mug into my hand. "Emily's also asked me to walk her down the isle because her parents aren't able to make the bumped up date."

My mind couldn't push past the fact that I was going to be an aunt. When I tuned back into the conversation, they were discussing who would be what. "Claire will be the flower girl, Kim and Leah can be bride's maids and you could be my maid of honour," she said, placing a hand over top of mine.

"Jacob's going to be my best man, Jared and Embry will also be best me," Sam added happily.

We all sat in the living room talking amongst ourselves when Leah and Quil burst through the front door, clad in minimal clothing and panicked expressions on their face. Sam stood abruptly and faced the pair with a confused expression on his face.

"Seth's gone," Leah breathed, tears beginning to form behind her gorgeous brown eyes. "He was at the hospital and he just left without telling anyone anything."

"He went in to check on Raphiel but he left shortly after entering the room. We spoke to the nurses and Dr. Cullen, they said he didn't tell anyone anything about where he was headed," Embry supplied.

"We heard him for a while and we were trying to follow him, but he cut out before we could determine a solid location."

Sam's eyes darted between the two boys before he rubbed his temples. "What was wrong with Raphiel? He usually spends hours on end in the hospital."

"She's fading fast," Quil replied.

"Dr. Cullen didn't…?"

Leah sighed," she's dead either way. Just…'s way results in her smelling a lot worse."

"Do you have any idea where he would go?" Sam asked, pacing the front hallway. "Some place that he frequently visited or enjoyed going?"

Quil made a lame attempt at a joke, on that was really stupid and far too soon. "Other than the hospital…in between Samantha's thighs."

The room quieted down to a deafening silence. Most if not all the people in the room stared blankly at Quil Ateara. Sam cleared his throat and avoided any and all eye contact with me or anyone else who wasn't Emily.

"Sorry," Quil apologized lamely, running a hand over the back of his neck. "That, uh, was pretty stupid."

"You think?" Leah growled, crossing her arms over her chest as she threw him a death glare.

I closed my eyes, trying to remember where he used to go when we were dating. "There's a certain spot on the beach that he would often visit and he made many trips into the forest," I replied, opening my eyes to see Leah shooting me a sympathetic look. "He's probably somewhere in the forest because the beach is far too public for him to mope around."


	57. Chapter FiftySix

"Did you want to come with us?" Jacob asked after hesitating to enter his Rabbit. "I mean, none of us have any idea what we're looking for when it comes to suits and tuxes."

I rolled my eyes playfully at him while flipping my hair over my shoulder. "If that's your way of saying that guys are inferior to girls when it comes to everything, then yea I'll help."

He laughed at me while shaking his head as he hopped back into the driver's side and started his car. I walked towards my brother's pickup and hopped into the flat bed. I hit the top of the cab, signaling I was ready, and then we were off.

"Sam, pop in the CD from the glove box and crank it!" I hollered over the hum of the passing engines. Embry laughed before doing as I asked and turned the volume way up. _The Good Life _by _Three Days Grace_ pounded through the speakers and caused the cab to vibrate.

A joyous cry flew from my lips as I swished my hair from side to side. The boys inside the cab laughed at me as I continued to bob my head wildly to the beat of the music. When I turned around to lean against the cab, I saw that the boys riding in Jake's Rabbit were laughing at me as well. Being the well mannered and well behaved girl that I am, I stuck my tongue out at hem and promptly flipped them off.

It didn't take long before my phone rang in my pocket. Jacob's caller ID blinked on the screen, brining a childish smile to my face. "Hello?" I asked as a small laugh fluttered through my lips.

Jake chuckled on his end briefly. "Hi, can I ask why I got flipped off not too long ago?"

"You may," I shuffled around and pulled my knees to my chest as I twirled a strand of hair around my finger. "You're laughing at my insanely cool dance moves, that's why."

He attempted to stifle his laughter but failed and pulled the phone away from his face. A few of the boys accompanying him in the car chortled along with him. "Hmm, that is a dilemma. What do you think the consequences of laughing at your girlfriend are?" he asked once he put the phone back to his ear.

"Well there is always brutal torture, humiliation, my dumping you," I ticked off, stretching out my legs. "Or, I could tie you to a bed and plague you with kisses; among other things…"

The line went silent. None of the boys on Jake's side spoke, the only sound I could hear was breathing, his rather heavy breathing. "If you're driving, I hope your heavy breathing isn't the result of you jerking off because if it is then you're all doomed to a horrific death by car wreck."

A small laugh came from his side, "No, you don't have to worry about that. My jeans just became a little tight around the crotch is all." He muttered something to one of the boys in his car. "Did you mean what you said? About the plaguing, I mean."

I shook my head at the intensity in his voice as he spoke. Without answering his question, I ended the phone call and stood; leaning against the cab. After grinning mischievously at Jake, I turned and placed my forearms on top of the car. I could feel their eyes on my rear as I shifted my weight onto one foot, making my ass stick out. Just for added measures, I wiggled my hips slightly.

My phone rang a few times but each time my finger zoned in on the ignore button and didn't hesitate to press it. I received a text message shortly after the last phone call, 'You're evil, you know that?"

I turned around and shot him an award winning grin before winking his way. A tap on the window caught my attention and I crouched so I could see who was talking. Embry opened the window and chuckled as he pointed at my older brother.

"Stop teasing the boy," Sam said, looking at me through the rear view mirror. He gave me a lopsided half-grin before he quickly directed his attention back to the road. "Once we get there, he'll be at your side in an instant. Teenage male hormones are never a good thing to mess with Samantha."

After muttering a discrete acknowledgement, I turned my attention to Embry Call. "He texted you what I told him…didn't he?" I questioned, resting casually on my knees. Once I received a curt nod from the Call boy, I pushed away from the cab and lay on my back. "You didn't have to tell Sam, you know."

Their laughs filtered through the pen window and met my ears as we pulled into the parking lot of a rather small boutique. The Rabbit pulled into the spot beside ours and before I knew it I was being lifted out of the flat bed by a pair of hot hands and held against a broad chest.

The bulge in his pants was eminent as he held me tight and buried his face in my neck. "See what you do to me?" he asked in between the kisses he pressed against my shoulders. "You drive me _insane._"

I pushed away from him and walked in front of my brother and Embry, leading the group into the – for lack of a better word – boutique. A tiny pale lady with red hair greeted us as we walked through the glass doors.

"Good afternoon dear, what can I do for you today?" she asked as she played with the measuring tape slung over her shoulders. Her navy blue pencil skirt and blazer clashed against the bright yellow of the tape.

By the sound of the commotion behind me, I knew that all the boys were cluttering the front of the forty-something year old red head's shop. Her eyes widened as I gestured to the group standing near the door, "They all need suits, they've out grown their old ones."

"I'd imagine…," she mused as she began to circle the nearest to her; Sam. "May I ask when they're needed by?"

I turned to look at my brother, watching as he squirmed while she examined the length of his arm. "I'm getting married on June 28th so we'll need them by the 26th at the latest," he muttered, stepping away from her when she stepped too far into his personal bubble.

A brilliantly warm smile worked its way onto her face while she extended her hand to Sam. "Congratulations! Who's the lucky lady?"

A red tinge coated Sam's cheeks as he placed a hand on the back of his neck. The lady laughed, being from Port Angeles and not being blessed with sun kissed skin that made blushing nearly impossible to see. I fought against the urge to awe at my brother seeing as how he's my ride home. "Her name is Emily Young," he replied confidently.

The lady's eyes widened like they had when they first lay on the boys. "Petite, raven black hair and three scars running down one side of her face?" Sam tensed at the mention of the scars, but I filled in my nodding my head. "She came in the other day to bump up her appointment to some time at the end of the week."

Both Jacob's and Paul's eyes lit up. "Is there any possible way that she can try on different bride's maid dresses to see if we can help influence the bride?" Jake asked as his eyes roamed my body without remorse.

"She's my sister," Sam groaned, placing the palms of his hands over his eyes. "Could you not do that, especially when I'm in the room?"

The boy's eyes shrunk back into their heads as they tried to ignore the harsh look my brother was shooting them. "I'll try on dresses with Emily and the other bride's maids, when the likes of you won't be staring at me like vultures; thank you very much," I defended, crossing my arms over my chest.

A long breath emanated from Sam as he took a step closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. The lady in charge of the boutique smiled cheerily at me before turning around and staring at two binders on the front desk.

"Were you looking for a specific colour or just a traditional black suit with a tie and white shirt?" she asked as she lifted a binder and began to leaf through it.

I nodded my head and stepped forward, "The classic jacket, pants, shirt, and tie combination will be great."

She set the binder down and strode towards each boy, a small busty brunette behind her jotting down the measurements she said. It took her about fifteen minutes to complete each and everyone's measurements before she muttered something and walked into the back with the brunette on her heels.

When the door shut the boys – Paul specifically – turned to each other and began gossiping like school girls. "Did you see the rack on that brunette?" Paul asked Embry as he elbowed him in the ribs. "Talk about top heavy!"

"You guys are so disgusting," I muttered, scrunching my face up to match my distaste for the boys. Jacob walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my stomach, lacing his fingers when they met.

Paul snorted and laughed. "This coming from the girl who gave the guy behind you a boner from telling him something on the phone!" he explained as him and Embry began to giggle amongst themselves.

"Would you two quit giggling like two school girls with a crush?" Sam asked, taking a seat on one of the chairs sitting before the window. "And would you take a step away from my sister before I take you to the vet to get neutered?"

Jake took a step back and put his hands in the air in surrender. I diverted my eyes and stifled my laughter as the bulge in his pants came back. I stopped when the red haired lady came back, only to stop when she handed Jake and Paul their pants and told them to put them on right there. Paul was quick to drop his sweats but Jacob's cheeks turned the slight shade of pink before he turned so I only saw his rear.


	58. Chapter FiftySeven

The ride home from the small boutique in Port Angeles was no less as exciting as the ride up there was. Sam and Embry once again took the pickup, but this time I wasn't lounging in the flatbed. I sat in the back seat, squished between Paul and Quil while Jacob and Jared got a laugh in from the front.

"Come on Sam, you can't say that you weren't watching Jacob as he changed in the middle of the store!" Paul jeered as he slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer. "Or maybe you were starting at me and making sure your boyfriend didn't catch you. In that case, I sleep in my boxers with the window open so all you have to do is crawl through the window and I'm all yours."

I stared at him with a mix of horror and shock on my face. When he leaned down and skimmed his lips over my forehead I wasn't sure if he'd seen the look I shot him or if he chose to ignore it. I was jerked in the opposite direction from him as Jacob swerved the car. My eyes met his in the rear view mirror and I felt like dropping my gaze instantly.

"Piss off Paul," he growled as the car swerved once again before he slammed on the brakes because he'd gotten too close to Sam. I heard Paul mutter something but I couldn't pick up the exact words he'd uttered.

We continued to drive along in a painstakingly quiet atmosphere, one so quiet that I could cut the tension with a butter knife. When we came to an area we knew, I leaned forward in my seat. "Can you pull over here?" I asked quietly, allowing Jake to look in my eyes through the rear view mirror.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked solemnly, trying to find a balance between looking at the road and at me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just pull over please," I pleaded as I looked at Paul and Quil out of my peripheral vision. Their gazes bore into my profile and I could tell they were all curious of my motives.

Reluctantly, Jacob turned his signal on and pulled off onto the shoulder. Once the car came to a complete stop I crawled over Quil and opened the door. I shut the door and stretched my arms high over my head before sticking my hands in my pockets.

The sound of a window rolling down caught my attention and caused me to look back. Jared leaned back to allow Jake to lean across and shoot me a concerned look. "What are you doing?" he questioned as he made eye contact with me.

"I'm going to walk home; I've got my phone on me in case of emergencies. I'll be fine," I answered, wrapping my arms around me as a cold wind blew past. The look on his face told me that I wouldn't be getting anywhere any time soon.

A sweater came flying through the window and hit me in the face. "At least stay warm," Jared muttered. "When the sun starts to set it gets really cold." I nodded my head and slipped it on, smelling Jake's woodsy aroma all over it.

"Call me when you get onto the res," Jacob demanded as he got out of the driver's side and walked around to embrace me. He held me tight to his body and placed his lips to the top of my head. "Be safe and stay out of the woods."

When I nodded my head he put me at arms length and stared me in the eyes. It was then that he pulled me close and placed his lips firmly to mine. A white hot sensation passed through my whole body as his lips and mine made contact. He passed his tongue over my bottom lip and was granted immediate access.

Not long after his tongue entered my mouth did he pull away. It was like he was never going to see me again and we were saying our final goodbye. I smiled at him and shoved my hands in my pockets before I started to walk away.

It took a while but I finally heard Jacob rev the engine to his Rabbit and they passed me shortly after. A few hands shot out the window to wave goodbye to me, causing a laugh to bubble up from my throat.

Something's been following me for the last five minutes of my walk home. Whatever it was, it stayed hidden amongst the trees so it could see me but I couldn't even see bushes move. I was tempted to call Jacob when I first felt the eyes on me but for some unknown reason I felt sort of safe.

A twig cracked, drawing my attention lightning quick. Bright brown eyes shone at me for a moment or two before they were gone. I wrapped my arms around my waist as a shiver raked up and down my spine.

I could feel my heart beat begin to race before it jumped into my throat when a wolf let out an ear splitting howl nearby. My hand couldn't have fished my phone out of the front pocket of Jake's sweater any faster. Before I knew it, he'd picked up on the other end.

"Samantha, what's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked hurriedly, his voice reaching a tone I knew well; panic.

It took me a moment to slow my breathing before I could form a proper sentence. "I – something's following me Jacob," I muttered. "I'm freaked out."

He said something to someone on his side before I could hear movement. "It'll be alright. I'll come and get you; do you know where you are?"

"I'm just –" a deafening scream was wrenched from my throat and echoed through the forest surrounding my on either side.

Jacob was absolutely freaking on the other side, repeating the same questions over and over as he rushed with whatever he was doing. I dropped my phone, still hearing his panicked voice, as I placed my hands over my heart.

The figure continued to emerge from the forest and I could feel my heart knock against my rib cage. A faint whimper passed through my lips as I sent up a silent prayer to who ever was listening up there.

I'd placed my hands over my eyes shortly after my prayer, not wanting to see whatever was approaching. When a hand was placed on my shoulder I shirked. Jacob's voice filled my ears after my scream stopped bouncing off the trees in the never ending forest.

"Embry, what the hell?" he yelled, the hand that was once on my shoulder disappearing. "I asked you to watch her, not scare the living shit out of her!"

I could hear shuffling before I decided to open my eyes. Jacob was crouching next to me with my cell in his outstretched hand. Embry stood near the edge of the road with his hand on the back of his neck.

Instead of being composed and grabbing my cell phone from Jacob, I threw myself at him. He wrapped his arms around me, the same time I'd latched onto him, and held me close to his chest.

"There were these eyes," I murmured into Jacob's broad shoulder. "These eerie bright brown eyes that stared at me for a second and disappeared. It was following me, Jake, and I've got not idea what it was. For all we know, a bear could have –"

My boyfriend shushed me by cooing gently nothings in my ear. When my breathing had started to calm down, Jacob muttered something to Embry and the sound of him running off filled my ears.

I could feel Jake moving to stand and he ended up pulling me into a standing position myself. "Come on, let's get going," he whispered as he let go with one hand. Very gently, he nudged me forward and I released my death grip only to hold his hand.

"Sorry," I apologized meekly; dropping my head to allow a curtain of hair to shield the blush that headed my cheeks.

He tugged on my hand after he stopped, causing me to crash into his well toned chest. "There's nothing to apologize for, you were scared and you reacted appropriately," he whispered, lifting his hands to brush the hair away from my face.

Slowly, he leaned forward and placed a gently and soft kiss to my forehead. When his lips left my skin something took over me. I grabbed onto the front of his shirt and smashed my lips to his hungrily. He smiled and deepened the kiss, knotting his hand in my hair.

"Jacob," Sam's voice filled my ears which resulted in Jake slowly releasing his hold on me. I straightened my hair out and fixed my boyfriend's shirt before turning to face my brother. "Come on; let's get back to my house before dark. It's time to tell her."

My eyebrows furrowed together as I looked at either one. Sam shook his head and leaned over to open the passenger door of his pickup truck. I could feel Jake's hand tighten around mine before he pulled me towards the red truck.

I was seated in between the two rather large boys with the air conditioner cranked in front of me. It took a while for me to finally find my voice, but when I finally did it was hard to wrap my brain around coherent sentences.

We drove in silence until Jake reached over and turned the radio on. Some random song my _Theory of a Deadman _blasted through the speakers at an insanely loud volume.Sam was the one who turned it down and pushed a CD into the player. The newest album from _Nickelback _began to play loud enough to fill the void.

It only took us about ten minutes to get home with Sam driving comfortably below the speed limit.

"Have they found Seth yet?" Jacob asked as we pulled into the driveway.

Sam slammed his door shut and waited at the front for Jake and me to catch up. "No, I'm sending Paul and Jared to patrol around the beach and boarders from here to as far as we can go on Cullen's land."


	59. Chapter FiftyEight

Everyone was staring at me. Nobody moved or said anything, all they did was stare. I was alone of the love seat, stuck to bury my head in my hands and mull over it all. The brief information I had before all this still didn't prepare me for everything I got over the last twenty-four hours.

I ran a hand through my hair and stood, trying to find the words to tell them that I knew. And that I'm being stalked by two vampires…but I think I'm going to leave that part out for a while.

Jacob made a move to stand by me but was stopped by a stern look from Sam. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists but stepped back from my brother. Everyone's eyes studied me and scrutinized everything that I did, every move I made.

"What…," my voice cracked. "What would you say if I told you I knew?"

His eyes popped open and the tension in the room soared. I found myself staring at many confused faces. "How could you know?" Jared questioned, leaning against a wall after running a hand over his face.

A humorless laugh fluttered from my lips. "Most of you were there; my ex boyfriend practically phased in front of me and I was kidnapped by a vampire from this very house."

"That doesn't exactly imply that you know much," my brother argued as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I bought a book on my birthday but only ended up reading a bit from it seeing as Embry thought I knew you were throwing me a birthday party," I replied softly. "I heard a bit from the vampire who kidnapped me, then there's also Leah who brought me to the Cullen's."

Paul growled, "Those filthy bloodsuckers told you about us but when Jake mentions the cold ones from the tribal legends they flip shit!"

"They never told me about you, I specifically asked for them not to."

Leah stood up and moved beside me. She placed a hand over my shoulder and looked each guy in the eye. Most seemed shocked that she wasn't sneering at everyone, but she didn't seem fazed by the looks she was receiving as she stared at Jacob. "She was waiting for you to tell her everything because she wanted to make sure you trusted her as much as she trusts you."

The room quieted down greatly before Paul and Jared broke the silence. Both boys began to coo and mumble nonsense while prancing around the living room from me and Jake. He pushed them away everything they came close to him while I stood there awkwardly.

"Dude you're on TV!" Jared, Paul, Quil, and Embry hollered excitedly from the living room. I chuckled softly before placing a spoonful of strawberries into my mouth as Jake shook his head. "Come on! You guys got to see this!"

Reluctantly I stood from my seat at the kitchen table and carried my bowl into the living room. Jacob trailed behind me, laughing quietly to himself. He reached over my shoulder and plucked one of the berries from my bowl.

"_La Push High had a Battle of the Bands and there hasn't been such a hype at the high school since it was serving week old food in the cafeteria. Tons of bands showed up but one stood out above the rest; the winner, Beautiful Disaster." _

"I didn't know they had cameras in the audience," I admitted while I leaned against Jake's firm chest. "Or any backstage for that matter…"

"_The song they'd played was a rather new one from Three Days Grace. Everyone in the band seemed well rehearsed and extremely fit for the part. Especially their lead guitarist, the only female in the group, Samantha Uley._

"_Uley is a grade 10 student which makes her not only the youngest in the band but the youngest to ever win a Battle of the Bands. Her band mates, John, Stu and Jason all explained that they'd first heard her play when she was strumming acoustically in the back of a pickup truck._

"_When the lights first lit up her form on stage, not many people took her seriously in her attire," grade 10 gym teacher Mr. Andrews said, "But the second her pick met the strings it blew everyone in the room away. I'd hate to compare her to Slash but I think with some work she could come pretty damn close." _

I chuckled loudly along with the other boys in the room. Coach Andrews always wore a serious and stern face and to see him so excited like that was freaky.

"_Several music producers from all over the states were watching the video of their performance that a student posted on YouTube shortly after their performance. She's – along with her band – become a trending topic on Twitter._

"_A few people have started Facebook pages, some of them wanting music producers to sign them. Others wanted Samantha, John, Stu, and Jason to come to their schools and challenge bands they know for their school title. One fan page simply wants her to record and post up on YouTube._

"_Where ever you go on the net, her name is popping up and her band is making headlines. More and more girls are aspiring to learn to play guitar just to be similar to her. The last time we saw a trend like this was when Hayley Williams and Paramore surfaced. The only difference between the two girls is that Hayley sings and Samantha shreds guitar. _

"_La Push High can't be prouder to have such a musical genius amongst their students…" _

"Wasn't Hayley Williams 16 when she started singing with Paramore?" Quil questioned as he kicked his feet onto the coffee table before him. "I mean, they compared you to her and she's freaking amazing so that must mean everybody thinks you're extraordinary!"

A gorgeous laugh filed the room while two warm hands wrapped around my stomach. Jacob placed his head on my shoulder and pressed his lips to my neck. "I realized she was extraordinary before some news producer did," he gushed.

"Dude, Hayley Williams is one hot babe!" Paul exclaimed, relaxing in the recliner. "Her hair…oh God. Would you dye your hair that colour and dance around in that lingerie you bought me?"

I stared blankly at the boy before me as Jake growled viciously. My hand found his and entwined our fingers while I mumbled calming words. It took a while but he finally calmed down to a point where all he was doing was shooting death glares at Paul.

His voice was deep and powerfully angry. "If I see thoughts of her in that lingerie in your head ever, I will tear you limb from limb and leave you to be finished by the leeches!"

Paul muttered on about how Jake couldn't kick his ass even if he was blind folded instead of apologizing over fantasizing about a pack mate's imprint. And if there's one thing that you'll learn, it's that you never mess with a wolf's imprint.

"Samantha?" a vice passed through the front of the house from the front hall. "Are you home?"

The boys chuckled at the…stupid question. "Yea, in the living room dad," I answered as I bit back a laugh that threatened to bubble up.

"Oh, you've got company. Hello boys are you up for pizza?" he walked into the living room and smiled at everyone.

At the mention of food their eyes lit up like a five year olds on Christmas morning. All of them were on their feet and in the kitchen right after him in a few seconds. Jacob was the only one who stayed behind but I could tell that he wanted to join them. With a simply nod of my head, he was in the kitchen.

I didn't see the boys for 30 minutes, and that was when I opened the door for the pizza guy. The pizzas were taken from my hands so fast it was like I'd never received them in the first place. My dad had followed behind them with the money in his hand.

"I ordered you a three cheese and pepperoni pizza with cheese in the crush and garlic dipping sauce," my father said as he placed his hand on my shoulder and walked with me into the kitchen.

"Don't you know that Jake and her are going to end up making out on the couch later?" Paul exclaimed as we entered the kitchen. "I took her garlic sauce and replaced it with my marinara. Jake deserves a fighting chance."

My eyes wandered over to Paul and I simply shook my head. "Have I ever mentioned that you're a pain in the ass? Cause if I haven't, pain in the ass doesn't begin to describe you."

"I love you too," he smiled largely at me, showing off all his teeth in the process.

Jacob moved close to me, a piece of my pepperoni pizza in his hand and another slice in his mouth. "Hey!" he exclaimed, dropping the piece from his mouth before he grabbed it just before it hit the floor. "She's my woman, go find your own!"

Both boys faced each other before one screamed out 'fight', to which they both began to joust with their pizza slices. Quil, Jared and Embry started to cheer them on from the side, in between bites of their pizza. Jacob shit his arm forward and his pizza slice collided with Paul's white shirt.


	60. Chapter FiftyNine

Today was the last day of school and I'm thankful to be cruising on my way home. I had all the windows down and the music just pumping from my speakers. My hair blew wildly after I slipped my sunglasses on my nose and the sun kissed my face.

An upbeat song came on the radio next and I found myself bobbing my head to the beat. When I got stopped at a red light, the chorus began to flow through the speakers and I couldn't help but sing along.

Jacob's Rabbit pulled up beside me, both Jake and Paul turning their heads to look at me. Quil, Embry and Jared raised their voices to say hi to me over my music. I smiled warmly at them, gave a subtle wave and revved my engine.

Something in Jake's eyes lit up and he revved his engine to accept my "challenge". I glanced quickly at the light before a wicked smirk plastered itself onto my face. When Jacob furrowed his eyebrows I pressed the petal down and took off as soon as the light turned green.

The engine purred as I pushed it well over the speed limit, taking my corners just a bit slower than how I drove the straight. I allowed a joyous laugh to pass through my lips and get lost in the intensity of the music.

Pretty soon, the road was reduced to one lane going either way and I had to look in my rearview mirror. Jacob and the boys weren't too far behind but I knew I couldn't let my speed decrease or I'd be overtaken.

As I came upon another turn, this one rather sharp, Jake and his boys took me from the inside and punched it, leaving me in the dirt. I slammed my palm onto the steering wheel but floored it none the less. Pretty soon, I was as close to them as they'd been to me moments earlier.

I watched the road for the solid yellow line to break, legally allowing me to pass them. When it finally came, I punched it and began to creep up on them until I finally over took them. As I laughed at the glee from doing so, I had to hammer on my breaks to narrowly miss a dear; Jacob just missing me.

"You were street racing?" Sam exclaimed, passing his hand over his face and through his hair vigorously. "Do you know how dangerous that is! You could have been killed!"

I crossed my arms over my chest childishly. "Thanks, Dad, for the tip," I grumbled as I looked to Emily for help.

Sam was supposed to have left for his bachelor party ten minutes ago but he refused to leave when he found out what I did after school. He was supposed to meet up with the guys at my house while Emily was having her bachelorette party at her tiny cabin like home.

"Sam," Emily piped up, placing her hand on his forearm lovingly. "Just leave her be, nobody got hurt. Now go have fun at your bachelor party, that's what tonight's all about."

He stared at his fiancée for a moment or so before sighing. "Fine, but no strippers," he exclaimed, staring around the room.

"What? Why can't we have strippers? It's a bachelor party for Christ's sake!" Paul howled, stepping closer to Sam as he tossed his hands in the air.

An exasperated laugh slipped from his lips before he shot a wink at Emily. "No, we can have strippers Paul," Sam said. "It's the women who can't."

All the guys seemed smug with themselves as they chuckled and high fived over getting strippers. Kim walked over to Jared and placed her hands on his hips. Something was whispered because Jared's eyes popped out of their sockets and he nodded his head vigorously.

When Kim walked away a few of the boys began to murmur about how Jared was whipped. She mimicked them lamely before making her way into the kitchen. Jacob snickered from the recliner and aimlessly flipped through the channels.

"Speaking of strippers," I muttered as I sauntered over to his hair, placing my forearms on his shoulders from behind the chair and dropping my lips to his ear. "If I hear you guys get strippers and that you were ogling her…you won't be able to ogle any of this."

To make my point clear, I sashayed my hips from side to side as I walked in front of him to head into the kitchen. A few of the boys snickered at Jake's face. I smirked victoriously at Kim as I high fived her.

The sound of the boys readying themselves to leave met Kim and my ears. Jared popped his head in the doorway and captured his girlfriend in a hug. When the two parted, she placed her lips to his.

I tore my eyes away from the mini-make out session when Jake waltzed into the kitchen. He smiled at me before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck before he placed his lips to the base of my neck and on the hollow below my ear.

"You have nothing to worry about, babe," he whispered huskily. "No one has a body quite like you do. I'll see you later tonight."

I bid him farewell and kissed him. Just like Jared and Kim, Jake and I took our time saying goodbyes. Embry and Paul ended up yelling at them to hurry up so they could order the stripper and start the party.

We were a bundle of laughter as we watched the male stripper give Emily a lap dance in a Speedo. Her face was priceless as she tried to back up into the chair but had to stop once she hit the back. He used the shirt he'd taken off and put it behind her shoulders to drag her closer to him.

As the stripper continued to dance on top of Emily, the front door opened and familiar voices invaded our laugher. Jake and Jared stood in the front hall and stared at us with wide eyes. My cheeks went slightly red as I put my hand containing five dollar bills behind my back.

"Hi guys," I croaked out hoarsely and embarrassed. "What are you doing here so early?"

Emily's eyes popped open as all the girls in the living room froze. The stripper continued on completely unfazed with what was going on around him. I ran a hand over the back of my neck – something I picked up from the guys – and began to shuffle from leg to leg under their intense stare.

Paul's form appeared behind Jake and Jared, his eyes going wild as he saw what was going on. He pushed past the two boys in front of him and stood with his hands on his hips in the middle of the front hall. When all eyes darted to his form, a mischievous smirk crept its way onto his face.

"No, no, don't let my being here stop you from your fun. Go back to what you were doing before, trust me, I don't mind," he said before taking a seat and folding his hands behind his head.

I flipped him off and placed my fives on the coffee table. Running a hand quickly through my hair, my attention turned to the stripper we'd hired. "Jeff," I called before he dropped his hand to his Speedo. "Thank you, but you've got to go."

"I still get paid, right?" Jeff asked once he'd stepped away from my future sister-in-law and began to pull on his pants. I nodded my head and grabbed the envelope of cash lying on the kitchen counter.

Once he had the envelope of cash in his hands he began to button up his flannel police shirt. As he passed Jacob and Jared – still standing there with dropped jaws – the front door opened again.

"What's going on here?" Sam boomed, glaring furiously at the male stripper as he side stepped him and continued on his way to his car.

Emily looked ashamed as she opened her mouth ready to tell him everything. "It was my fault Sam," I said, beating her to the excuse. "I thought that Emily deserved to have a traditional bachelorette party so I called the stripper. I shouldn't have gone against you and I'm sorry."

Sam stared at me with a blank look on his face, Jared and Jacob had moved into the living room and plunked down on the free chairs. After a few moments' silence, the door opened again and Quil and Embry walked into the house.

"I can't believe you," my brother said, exhaustion lacing his voice. "First the street racing, then disobeying what I told you guys you couldn't do…do you even listen to what I say?"

I could feel the flame inside me ignite once more and this overwhelming feeling of anger flooded through me. My palms were beginning to sting from my fingernails digging into them so deep. I clenched my jaw and squared my shoulders before squeezing my eyes shut.

"Take me home," I demanded through my teeth, staring at Jacob intently.

The entire room had quieted and all eyes stared at me in a way that's odd to describe. But I pushed that to the side and worked on calming my breathing. I repeated my previous statement, this time adding Jake's name.

He stood from his chair and approached me with caution. His hands were extended towards me and at the contact with his skin I felt slightly better. I walked out in front of him and pulled open the passenger door of his Volkswagen Rabbit.

"I love you, you know?" Jacob said, out of the blue, when we'd started our drive home. My eyes widened at first but I eventually slid my hand under his.

My smile broke out, big. "I know, Jake. I…feel the same way."


	61. Chapter Sixty

Jacob's Point of View

My mind was in a frenzy during my patrol, all I could think about was how she couldn't tell me that she loves me back. The boys were getting agitated with my thoughts but I couldn't help it, I'd just told her that I love her for the first time.

"_God, would you drop it already?"_ Embry thought, his tone far beyond annoyed. _"Give her some time and she'll tell you how she feels!" _

I sighed and continued to run, trying to focus on nothing but my paws slamming against the floor and my heavy breathing. After running full out for what felt like an eternity, Sam's voice entered my head and told me my shift was over. I changed my course instantly and followed my heart to her house.

Once I'd phased back behind nearby bushes, I pulled on my sweats and climbed the tree by her big bay window. I made myself comfortable and just stared at the gorgeous girl on the other side of the window panel.

She turned to her side and I yearned to be able to sleep beside her and hold her tight. A small whimper escaped her lips and I was on my feet in an instant. Just as I was about to open her window Quil jogged from the forest adjusting his tattered sweat pants.

"Sam sent me to tell you that you should really head to be. He's calling patrol short tonight because of his wedding tomorrow," he exclaimed while leaning against the trunk of the tree.

I glanced at her sleeping form before hopping down from the branches. Before I'd even opened my mouth to say something to him, he'd raised a hand to shut me up. "She'll say it to you eventually man. Just don't sweat it; you want to look good standing next to her in pictures don't you?"

After hesitating a moment or so, I nodded my head. "So are you planning on matching Claire's dress tomorrow?" I enquired as we walked across Samantha's front lawn to get to my house.

He smiled brightly at me before going on to mumble about how he helped her pick it out because she wouldn't go unless he did. I laughed when he giggled and spaced out, thinking about her position on the wedding.

"Alright," I said after minutes of his senseless yammering. "I'm going to crash, I'll see you tomorrow."

Quil smiled and stretched. "See you in the a.m bro," he replied.

No sooner had my head hit the pillow was I knocked out, dreaming of Samantha.

_A breeze caressed my cheeks while the sun warmed my already hot skin. My smile grew in size when I opened my eyes and saw a gorgeous brunette in a white dress. She moved into the path of the sun and her figure became silhouetted beautifully. _

"_Jacob," she whispered, allowing the wind to take her sweet voice and carry it to my ears. _

_Clouds passed over the sun and I could see her perfectly. Samantha smiled at me as the wind blew her hair and dress around gorgeously. She looked flawless as she stood there with waves crashing freely behind her. I stood slowly and started walking towards her._

_Every step I took forward she took back, keeping a distance between us while her smile remained on her face. I quirked an eyebrow before darting forward with my werewolf speed. While I was expecting to grab a hold of her, all I caught was air. I turned around quickly when she laughed behind me._

"_You're forgetting I'm just as fast as you are," she mused as she sauntered towards me. I smirked at her as she placed her hands on my hips. _

"_Ah," I put my hands on her lower back and pulled her closer. "That may be true but just because you're a werewolf doesn't mean that you can't stop me from doing crazy romantic things." _

_Her eyebrows shot upward as I pulled away from her. A mysterious smile crept over my face before I turned to the forest and gave a subtle nod. It was quiet for a moment before _I'll be _by _Edwin McCain _started to softly play from Samantha's car speakers under Embry's control. Edward and Emmett – waiting patiently high in the trees – pulled up the black cloth with the twinkly light bulbs strung across so it would cover the sun as Jasper shone a pale light to mimic the moon. _

_I smiled when her jaw dropped and her eyes began to water slightly. Her eyes widened even more when I dropped down on one knee and pulled a black velvet box from my trouser pocket. When I opened it tears were leaving trails down her cheeks. _

"_From the moment I saw you I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You're everything I could want and more, Samantha; you're my other half. Please do me the honor of being my wife…will you marry me?" I asked as I extended my hands further towards her. The heart diamond caught the light from the "moon" and glistened wonderfully. _

_When I looked up, her eyes were twinkling just like the gem I held in my outstretched palm. The tears had left streaks of black down her cheeks from her running mascara and eyeliner. She had her hands pressed over her mouth in what I hope to be shock as she nodded her head. I got up from my knee and took her hand in mine before slipping the ring onto her finger. _

I woke from my dream at 7:30 am from Embry and Quil barging into my bedroom. "Come on man," Quil said as Embry started to collect all the parts to my suit. "Get your lazy ass out of bed, Emily made breakfast before she left and Paul's heaving over there as we speak!"

Dropping my hand onto the floor, I searched for some bottoms to pull on over my boxers. Once I'd pulled the bottoms on, I got out of my too-small bed and stretched my limbs thoroughly. The two boys gave me a confused look as the smile I wore in my dream crept onto my face, planning on staying like that for a long while.

"Why are you so happy?" Embry asked as we bounded down the stairs, him carrying my formal wear and me carrying a pair of socks and running shoes.

Quil looked me over and scrutinized my every move. "I had a dream last night that I asked Samantha to marry me and she agreed," I mused once I stood after putting on my socks and shoes. The two gave me incredulous looks before smiling and shaking their heads.

As I walked to the front door, the boys behind me, it was thrown open by my dad. He looked up at me, smiled and nodded his head behind him. I looked over his head and saw Seth standing there digging the toe of his shoe into the ground.

"Hey man," Quil said from behind me as he moved out of the way to allow my dad to pass. "Where have you been?"

Seth directed his eyes up to us and dropped them in a second. "I was in Texas," he replied in a voice that sounded too weak to belong to him. "Raphiel called me early last night and I've been running since then to get back."

"So Carlisle…," I trailed off, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it come from his mouth.

The playful glimmer that was once evident in his eyes left no trace of ever being there. His shoulders were slumped forward and he looked like a right mess. Seth wore only the sweat pants that we all kept tied to our ankles during patrol.

He ruffled his overly long hair with his hand and looked at what Embry held in his hands. "Yea, that's why she called me yesterday, to explain to me the situation," he muttered as his eyes darted to the bags on hangers that lay on the kitchen table. "Is something going on today?"

"Sam and Emily are tying the knot today, Emily's expecting so they bumped the date up several months," Embry supplied as he walked towards the table and set my suit down. "Sam told the tailor your measurements and she made you a suit identical to ours."

A ghost of a smile tinted his face for a brief moment as I stepped aside to allow him to enter my house. "We're heading over to Sam's now to start getting ready if you want to come with us," I said after a silence as he stared at the suit and shoes in the kitchen.

"Are you guys running or taking the Rabbit cause I've ran enough in the last week to keep me happy for the next month or so," he joked, well at least he tried to joke seeing as his tone was nowhere close to what it should have been for what he'd said.

I smiled and tossed my keys at him, happy to have a brother back; regardless of our past. Embry picked up his suit and shoes leaving Quil and I to do the same. With Seth's outfit on the table, we jogged out to the car to load it and I jogged back in. Seth stood still and just stared at the plastic covered suit.

"Are you going to be alright Seth?" I questioned as I placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at me and nodded his head before grabbing his outfit and placing my keys into the palm of my hand.

"Where's my tie?"

"Get your ass out of the bathroom; you've been in there for half an hour!"

"Quit doing that! You're messing up my hair!"

"Em, does this make my butt look big?"

Everyone in the living room stopped what they were doing and stared at Quil in astonishment. The closet boys to him took a step away and turned their heads. Sam sighed in frustration and slumped into a nearby chair, resting his head in his hands as his tie hung loosely around his neck.

We had under an hour to finish getting ready and make it to the chapel. Sam was a bundle of nerves; his hands shook as he attempted to tie his tie for the tenth time. No one could find their things and we all ran around like a bunch of girls getting ready for a big date or something.

"Where the hell is Samantha when you need her?" he asked after raking a hand through his hair.

I was half expecting her to walk through the door and save the day like she always does. Though, something in my gut told me that she'd have enough on her plate to deal with at her house today. The girls _have_ to be worse than us right now.

Samantha's Point of View

I was the first one ready even though I was the last one to start the relentless routine. Kim was running around like a chicken with her head cut off as she scrambled around to find things that she already knew the placement of. Leah said that she was going to get ready at her house which left Emily a bundle of questions about Leah's antics.

So while Emily sat in front of my vanity twirling a lipstick tube in between her fingers, I stared into her eyes as I explained that there was nothing wrong with her. Every time her gaze dropped, I knew she was thinking up another way Leah could be upset with her.

"Before Sam imprinted on me, he and Leah were dating," she explained in a low voice. "He couldn't explain to her that he was a wolf so he basically just left her for me. She's been bitter about the whole thing especially since I'm her cousin, but when she first phased into a wolf and found out about everything she wasn't pleased."

The only thought running through my mind at that point was wow, and I was pretty positive that it was written all over my face. When I composed myself, I still wasn't able to form any comforting sentence with my mouth as dry as a bone.

I opened my mouth and waited for sound to come out. "I didn't know the entire story of Sam and Leah's past; she only told me brief parts."

She smiled at me before placing the lipstick tube back onto my vanity. Her eyes lit up as she stared at her wedding dress through the vanity mirror. "Let's just get ready before we wind up being late!" she joked, running a finger over her three scars.

Emily stood from her seat and walked to the door where the elegant gown hung in its plastic jacket. I watched as she traced her fingers over the plastic slowly and delicately.

"No, no, no, no!" Kim gushed as she ran into the room, finally ready to go. "The dress goes on last to make sure no makeup ruins it! Here, sit down, I'll do your makeup and Samantha can do your hair."

Emily was pushed back into her chair before Kim sat in front of her with makeup scattering the table behind her. I picked up the curling iron and started to curl random sections of her long black hair. She'd refused to cut it for the wedding and wanted to keep it down, so I was going to do a half up and half down hair do for her one-length hair.

I parted her hair and brought it to the right; like I do to my hair, allowing my bangs to flop over my right eye. Once I had the part right, I parted some hair to the front of her head and some to the pack. I pulled part of the front back up on top of her head and put a clip in it. The long pieces in the front were curled then brushed out to become a delicate wave.

Kim stepped away from the bride the same time I did and we both stared at her in the mirror. As she stared at herself in the mirror, Kim walked to the door and removed the dress from its plastic bag. Once Emily had taken off her robe, Kim helped her into the dress and I placed her veil onto the part I'd created. The tiny tiara like band glistened as it caught the light from the window.

We all turned around and stared at ourselves in my full length mirror mounted to the wall. Kim let out a low whistle as she examined herself from all angles. "Girls, we look amazing!" she gushed, striking a pose. A laugh filtered through the room as we all slipped into our heels and grabbed our bouquets.

We arrived at the church before the guys and quickly scrambled to bring Emily into a room where Sam wouldn't see her. Kim hurried along with her while my dad and I waited near the door to greet the oncoming guests. We were at the front no longer than 5 minutes before Kim rushed down the hall saying that Emily wanted to talk to my father.

A few guests came in, said hello to me and walked in to take their seats. Half of the seats were filled within ten minutes and that's when two familiar vehicles pulled up; Sam's truck and Jakes VW Rabbit. Watching large boys pile out of Jacob's car was quite humorous, like watching 20 clowns exit a tiny Bug.

Paul's long and low whistle caught my attention over the chatting guests piling in. They all filled the front foyer of the church while people found their seats. A movement to the side of the Rabbit caught my attention and I could feel my jaw slack. Seth Clearwater stood proudly in his suit, smiling up at me once I caught his eye.

Before it could even register in my mind, I was racing down the three stairs in front of the church. His eyes lit up just the slightest as he opened his arms up in anticipation of me jumping into them. He was faced with a rude awakening as my smile turned into a straight face and instead of hugging him my hand made a deafening smack as I slapped him.

"What was that for?" he questioned, rubbing his cheek with his hands as his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

I glared at him and put my hands on my hips. "Well, there are many reasons to slap you, but the one I choose to invoke right now is your running off! You worried the entire pack and they had to make up for a lost member doing patrol so they've been working their butts off!" I argued while staring straight into his eyes.

They clouded over once words left my mouth and his face hardened significantly. "You don't understand," he muttered just loud enough for me to hear. The guys, who were no probably on the front steps, could more than likely hear the entire conversation clearly with their werewolf hearing.

"Then explain to me what I don't understand, Seth. Because I know she's your imprint and I know that you haven't lost her like you think that you have," my voice remained steady and weak, an odd combination but it wasn't something I had control over at this point in time. "I also know that you'd probably rather be dead than in love with someone you're supposed to hate and protect the people of La Push from."

When Seth's eyes met mine again, I could see the vulnerability that lay deep within. The anger that pulsed through me faded away quickly and I found Seth tight within my grasp. His body shook but not in anger, no his body shook as he fought to keep the tears from trickling down his cheeks.

After mumbling a few reassuring words, Sam called us back in a hurry. When we pulled away from each other, I had to wipe the bottom of my eyelid to check for running mascara and eyeliner. A few sniffles later and we were walking up the three steps side by side. Jake's hand clamped onto my hip the second I was in close enough range.

I placed a finger to his lips and shook my head. He laughed and glared at my lip gloss covered lips. Sam cleared his throat before nodding his head in the direction of the doors. Once Jake detached from my hip, they started walking down the long isle to join the minister. All the boys lined up, basically doubling the girls who would join Emily on her side of the minister.

Kim, Emily, Claire, Leah, and my dad emerged from a long hallway talking lowly with smiles on their faces. Clair was giddy as she clutched her basket of rose peddles tightly in her little fists. Quil pushed off from the wall and smiled as she walked towards him, only to be told to go away by Kim.

Once the boy was down the isle, Claire began to walk down towards the minister as she sprinkled the rose peddles left and right. A few people laughed and awed as they saw the overly excited smile planted on her face. When she was mere rows from the front, Leah started her walk; dressed the same as Kim and me.

Laughs twinkled through the air when Claire ran straight to Quil's legs, only to have him walk her to her place before going back to his own. Leah stood beside her younger cousin and smiled down at her while Kim started to strut down the long isle.

I turned to my dad and Emily, gave them a smile and offered them a few words of encouragement. By the time I turned around, it was my turn to start walking. Dressed in my bride's maid dress, my heels, my hair scattered with flawless waves, my makeup done to perfection, and a bouquet of white roses in my hand, I made my way towards the front of the church. All the while, I imagined my dad holding my arm as I walked down the isle towards Jacob Black.

My eyes wandered towards his form only to see that he was watching me the entire way with a huge grin on his face. Once I stood beside Kim, the music changed to the wedding march and the entire church turned and stood. My dad emerged from behind the closed doors with Emily smiling on his arm.

When Emily and Sam stood together the crowd hushed and the minister began the ceremony. As it progressed, I found myself staring at Jake from time to time and imagining that we were in their place. I zoned back in when he turned it over for the two to say their vows.

"Emily, from the moment I laid eyes on you I knew that you were the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You're perfect in every way and I know if I had a chance to do anything over, I wouldn't dream of it. I will love you until the day I die," Sam gushed while squeezing her hands.

Tears pricked her eyes as she stared at my brother. Her voice was soft as she said, "You're always there to light up my day and pick me up when I'm down. Regardless of what happens, I know that you'll stand by me through thick and thin. And I also know that whatever I decide to make, you'll eat. Sam, I love you with all my heart."

The crows let out a sigh and listened to the minister continue along with the ceremony. He continued along with a few sighs from the crowd of people until he go to the exchange of the rings when it went silent.

"With this ring, do you Emily Young take Sam Uley to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?" he asked.

Emily wiped a stray tear from her cheek, "I do."

When Sam was asked the same question, he too choked up. With a huge grin on his face, he replied, "I do."

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Sam pulled her close and placed a hand on her cheek before placing his lips to hers lovingly. The crowd began to clap as Mr. and Mrs. Sam Uley shared their first kiss as a married couple.

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	62. Epilogue

The party had ended about half an hour ago, but the last guest just left. Sam and Emily were curled up on the love seat with their hands on her belly while Claire sat on Quil naming off names for the baby. About an hour into the party, Leah and Seth had gone home leaving their mom with Billy Black.

"Did you want to go on a walk?" Jake asked as he helped me place the last of the paper plates in the trash bag. When I shook my head and continued to busy myself with picking up a few paper cups he suggested another idea. "How about just going outside to talk?"

I turned and saw something in his eyes so I agreed. He took my hand and we began to walk through the living room when all the guys tensed up. Jake and Sam audibly sniffed the air before cringing and shaking.

Before Emily, Kim or I had the chance to question them about what it was, they were all out the door. Emily balanced Claire on her hip and walked into the kitchen to look out the window. When she didn't come back, both Kim and I got antsy.

Kim was sensible and went to see what was taking Emily so long. I, on the other hand, could feel that something was wrong, horribly wrong. I was out the door in the blink of an eye, stumbling a bit in my heels but other than that nothing was stopping me from getting to the backyard.

The guys were huddled together in the middle of the lawn, mumbling lowly to themselves. As I continued to approach, Jacob turned around with sad eyes. He walked towards me and eloped me in a tight hug, muttering sweet nothings in my ear. I could feel him start moving me backwards after he lifted my feet off the ground.

"Jacob, what're you doing?" I asked as I struggled to get out of his grasp. He held on tight, but eventually loosened on me. As I started towards the group of boys Jake grabbed onto my wrist and turned me around.

His eyes were pleading with me not to go. "Samantha, I don't – please just stay with me. You don't want to see what's over there," his voice cracked as he tried to convince me not to leave him.

The curiosity was beginning to eat me alive. I continued to walk and Jake's hand released my wrist. All the guys had turned to face me with solemn faces. Sam, on the other hand, looked absolutely devastated. I pressed on until I stood directly in front of Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and my big brother.

"Don't," Sam closed his eyes tight before shaking his head. "Please don't Samantha. I can't – I can't help you if you do." When he opened his eyes I could see the pain and tears threatening to streak down his cheeks.

My brother, someone very strong and someone that I look up to, dropped to his knees suddenly. Sobs raked his body as he buried his head in his large hands. I couldn't help but look over his head before dropping to my knees in front of him and crying along with my brother.

Behind all the boys law a mangled and bloody body. Puncture marks in the neck indicated that a vampire was the cause of death. But that's not why I wept. My dad's head lay at an awkward angle, eyes opened wide and mouth opened to let out a scream none of us would hear.

The boys shifted awkwardly before Quil said he was going to call Chief Sawn about this. Paul and Jared approached the body and tried to identify the vampire perpetrator. From the sound of their continuous sniffing, I could tell that they couldn't tell who it was; ruling out a member of the Cullen Clan.

Embry remained by Sam while Jake moved to stand by me. The atmosphere tensed as Paul and Jared raced back to us from the dead body. A sickingly sweet aroma surrounded us and got all the boys on their toes. Sam choked back the sobs and tears before he got to his feet and glared into the endless trees.

His head darted everywhere, trying to find something. "Show yourself you coward!" Sam screamed. "Come out and fight like a man!"

A familiar laugh fluttered from somewhere within the forest. I could feel the blood in my veins run cold as I recognized the laugh. Without a second thought I was on my feet and backing up to get back into the house. A vicious shuddered raked my spine and told me I had to get out of there as soon as I could.

I opened my mouth to tell them to get in the house at the same time I turned around and smacked into something solid. "Well, well, can't keep away from me can you, gorgeous?" Nathan's voice washed over me as his cold arms wrapped around my shoulders.

All of the boys' heads turned in our direction and everyone began to shake. Jake – possibly realizing that he vampire behind me was with the one he'd killed before I got here – opened his mouth to say something but got cut off by Sam. "You son of a bitch!" he roared, stepping forward. "You killed my father so you better let her go before I kill you in a way worse way that I was thinking!"

"Ah, ah, ah, you move and she dies just like your old man…but more vile and with all of you here to watch," Nathan mused with a large smirk on his face. His grip on my shoulders tightened as he pressed my back into his chest firmly.

Jacob was shaking so much I was surprised he already hadn't phased. "If you don't take your hands off her right now I swear to God I will rip you to shreds faster than you can blink!" he threatened as a growl ripped through his throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he turned to look at the advancing Sam, the same time as the mysterious vampire appeared at his side. "You see, my friend here may have to hurt you if you try anything."

Everyone looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes before they all tried to circle the two vampires. The two shook their heads and ran so we were at the mouth of the forest. I heard Nathan mutter things about how he can't wait to hurt Jake the same way he hurt him, and that scared me.

"Jacob," I whimpered while trying to pull away from Nathan, to no avail. "Jake stop, please." He met my gaze and saw the tears welling up in my eyes. That's when he stopped and indicated for everyone to stop advancing and just stand still.

Nathan shifted towards his accomplish and I felt like a ragdoll. My heart was pounding within my chest and a comment his accomplish made cause it to miss a beat. "Are you sure I just can't take a bite?" he asked while his cold fingers lingered on my neck. "It can't do any harm."

That was the bag that broke the donkey's back. All the boys rushed forward with rage written on their faces clearly…until everyone just stopped. Their looks of rage were replaced with blank stares. Some boys shook their heads while others covered their eyes or ears.

"Stop! What are you doing to them?" I frantically demanded as I tried to get away.

Nathan explained that his accomplish was doing the same thing that he had to me; making me see something that wasn't actually there. With that, he picked me up bridal style and allowed me one last look at my family. He snickered before he kicked into a slow jog and muttered, "An eye for an eye makes everyone blind, babe."


End file.
